Tortured Souls Series Tommy & Kimberly
by Signkat
Summary: My forever worked-on & set aside Kimberly & Tommy post-letter fic. **DOES KIM'S REASON FOR THE LETTER EVEN MAKE SENSE? PLEASE REVIEW/EMAIL & HELP ME DECIDE TO EITHER CONTINUE/FINISH OR TRASH THIS STORY & START OVER!**
1. Chapter 01: Phone Calls

**Legal Disclaimer: **I am using the following characters without the

permission of Saban or his counterparts. All of the main characters in

this story (Kimberly, Tommy, Rocky, Adam, Tanya, Katherine, Zack, Jason,

Trini, Billy, Zordon, and Alpha) are owned and copyrighted by Saban

Entertainment which is associated with Saban International, as is the

Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers title and everything that is associated with

it. If I've missed anything else, please forgive me.

  
  


**Authors Notes:** There are numerous writers helping in their 

own ways with this story. If it wasn't for them, this whole fic would have 

been shelved by now. Thank you to all!! 

**Writing credits:** I would like say a huge thank you to Cheryl for her 

endless work helping me re-write this monster and encouragement. I'd also like 

to thank my friend Dawn for her unending help when I have major writers block.

  
  
  
  


**P.S.** There's a 6 hour difference between Florida and France, 9 hour difference 

between California and France. This story begins in late July; Kim has been 

in Florida training for the Pan Global's for almost 10 months. It has been 

about 5 months since Tommy received "The Letter" and the Turbo Movie never 

happened. Trini, Jason and Zack left for the Peace Conferences 2 weeks before 

Kim left for Florida.

  
  
  
  


"Tortured Souls" 

Chapter #1: Phone Calls

By Mary "Signkat" and Collaborators

  
  
  
  
  
  


*Ring.....Ring.....Ring....... *

  
  


"Hello?"

  
  


*"Hi, is Kim there?" *

  
  


"Yeah, hold on a sec." The girl covered the receiver, muffling her voice

as she called, "Kim! Phone for you!!"

  
  


"Got it, Renee! Hello?" Kim grabbed the phone on her nightstand.

  
  


*"Guess who!" *

  
  


"TRINI! I can't believe it's you!" Kim exclaimed. "How's Geneva? How's

the Peace Conference going?"

  
  


*"Well, things wrapped up a few months earlier than expected, so we're

home! Geneva was great; everything there is so different -so beautiful.

But it's no Angel Grove. So, how are you doing?" *

  
  


"I'm hanging," she sighed. "I've made a few friends down here, so I have

a little company... but all anyone around here wants to talk about is

gymnastics.... It's almost like it's a religion, ya know? Thank God we

have a break coming up!" Kim said, none too convincingly.

  
  


*"I've got some news for you... you might not believe this, but I'm dating

Jason." *

  
  


Kim sat straight up on her bed "Wait - did I miss something? When did

this happen?"

  
  


*"We had time to really get to know each other over the last year...

_BEEP!_

Oh, can you hold on a sec; I've got a call on the other line."*

  
  


"Sure"

  
  


_(CLICK)_

  
  


"Hello?" Trini asked, switching to the second line.

  
  


*"Hey Trini, is Jason there?" *

  
  


"Hi, Tommy. Yeah, let me just get off the other line first."

  
  


_(CLICK)_

  
  


"Hey, Kim, can I call you back in a little bit? The other line's for

Jason."

  
  


*"Yeah, no problem."*

  
  


"Do you have a piece of paper handy - So I can give you my new

Phone number!" 

  
  


*"New phone number?"*

  
  


"Yeah, I got my own apartment! We just finished moving the last 

few boxes over yesterday. I can't wait until you can see it for yourself!" 

  
  


*"Just Let me grab a pen... ok, shoot!"*

  
  


"9-3-4-7-2-9-3-5-8-5. I'll call ya back, ok?"

  
  


* "Sure ... I'll talk to you later!" *

  
  


_(CLICK)_

  
  


"Jason, Tommy's on the phone!" Trini called out. A moment later, 

she heard him pick up the cordless in the living room.

  
  


"Hey, Bro, what's up?" Jason queried, claiming the line as he heard 

Trini's extension click off.

  
  


*"So how's it feel to be back home?" * Tommy asked. 

  
  


"Good. What's going on with you?"

  
  


*"Not a lot... I got your message the other day, but Uncle John has had me

so busy practicing, I haven't had a chance to call you back until now." *

  
  


"Is he a work horse or what? So how's the racing going?"

  
  


*"It's good. Next sunday I'm racing in the Miami Classic... Actually,

would you and Trini like to come and watch the race?" *

  
  


"I'll have to talk to Trini about it and see about getting someone to

cover my classes, but I'll let you know," Jason answered.

  
  


* "Where are you teaching at?" *

  
  


"The Double Dragon Dojo. They just opened on the edge of town; actually

this was my first week," Jason chuckled. "Funny thing happened today,

though.... In the beginners class, there was this kid named Brett who

kept teasing a yellow belt named Samantha. He was picking on her because

she has to wear a patch over her left eye - I don't know, something about

trying to strengthen her right eye. Anyway, I had all the kids paired up,

practicing kicks and blocks; I'm not sure what happened, but I turned

around for one minute and the next thing I hear is Bret hitting the floor

on his back. From what I was told, he got in Samantha's face, and she had

had enough, so she flipped him over her shoulder!"

  
  


Tommy started laughing. *"That served him right! Bet he doesn't tease her

again!" *

  
  


"You're darn right!" Jason replied. "He finally got up off the mats and

ran into the locker room, crying. He was all right, but I would say that

must have been the first time a girl stood up to him like that!"

_BEEP_

"Oh, hold on, the other line's beeping"

  
  


_(CLICK)_

  
  


"Hello?"

  
  


*"Hi, Jase. Is Trini handy?"* 

  
  


To Jason, Kim sounded somewhat distracted. He looked down the hall at the

bathroom door. "Uh, I think she's just finishing her shower. Can I have

her call you back in a few? I'm still on the other line."

  
  


Kim yawned. *"Nah, it's not really that important. If she feels like

calling me later, fine, but if not, I'll just talk to her whenever...."*

  
  


"Are you sure you're all right, Kim?" Jason queried in a big brotherly

way.

  
  


*"Yeah, I guess I'm just tired,"* she replied unconvincingly.

  
  


"If you say so.... I've gotta go, but I'll have Trini call you!"

  
  


*"Great. Thanks, Jase!"*

  
  


_(CLICK)_

  
  


"I'm back. While I'm thinking of it, Tommy, what's the number there so I

can call you later about the race?"

  
  


*"Hold on; let me look up my pager number -it's the only reliable number,

other than leaving messages with my mom."*

  
  


Jason could hear Tommy rummaging through his backpack for his pager.

"Since when did you have a pager?"

  
  


*"Dad... he figured that way Mom wouldn't go nuts wanting to talk to me

but not being able to call."*

  
  


Jason winced; it sounded like Tommy had just up-ended the bag all over his

bed. 

  
  


*"Here it is; got paper?"*

  
  


"Shoot!"

  
  


*"Area code 9-1-5-9-9-8-2-8-5-8."*

  
  


"Cool. I'll call ya later then, all right?"

  
  


*"Talk to ya then!"*

  
  


Jason hung up as Trini walked into the livingroom.

  
  


"So, what did Tommy have to say?"

  
  


"He invited us to his race in Florida. I told him I'd discuss it with you

and page him later. Uh, Kim called while I was talking to him."

  
  


"The race sounds like fun! How do you think she sounded?"

  
  


Jason paused for a moment. "Lonely. The only time I've heard her sound

that bad was when she was...."

  
  


"When her parents were getting the divorce?" Trini murmured, completing

Jason's sentence for him.

  
  


"Yeah ... man, I hope Kim's all right...."

  
  


"Jason, what happened to them?" Trini asked. "Kim never told me about the

break-up; the first I heard of it was from you."

  
  


"I don't really know. I don't even think Tommy knows. The two of them

we're doing fine at Christmas, and then I get this phone call from Tommy

telling me Kim dumped him. He was pretty broken up about it. No one had

any clue."

  
  


Trini paused thoughtfully. "I know Kim, Jason. There is no way she ever

meant to let Tommy go; I'm sure of it. We've got to do something to help

them out."

  
  


"Like what?"

  
  


"I don't know yet, but I'll think of something. Let me dry my hair, then

I'll call her back!" 

  
  


A half hour later, Trini grabbed the phone.

  
  


Ring....Ring....Ring....

" 'Ello?" Kim sniffled.

  
  


Trini could tell that her friend had been crying. "Hey, Kim, are you all

right?"

  
  


"Yeah, I'm fine... was just watching a sad movie. What's up?"

  
  


"Jason said you called while he was on the phone with Tommy, and I was

wondering what was going on with the two of you?" she asked pointedly

  
  


"It's over," Kim blurted out. "What else can I say? I fucked up

everything. Can we please change the subject now?"

  
  


"Kim, what's wrong?"

  
  


"What makes you think something's wrong? Can't I just be in a bad mood

sometimes?"

  
  


"You normally don't swear, Kim," Trini responded bluntly.

  
  


"I guess ... I'm just tired of practicing -especially this six day a week 

training schedule. Even though I only have practice tomorrow

and then Sunday off, I keep wishing that the Pan Globals were already

over. The only thing keeping me going right now is that Coach Schmidt is

giving us a ten day vacation starting a week from yesterday."

  
  


"That's good, isn't it?" Trini covered the mouthpiece with her hand and

whispered to Jason, "When's the race that Tommy was talking about?"

  
  


"Next Sunday. Why?" She waved him off as Kim began speaking again.

  
  


"Yeah, but I'm going to be stuck here anyway! I mean, I can't come 

home 'cause I don't have the money; and I'm definitely not about to go to 

play tag-a-long with Renee...." Kim sighed with frustration.

  
  


"Well...." Trini briefly glanced at her boyfriend, grinning knowingly.

She had an idea. "Do you want some company then?"

  
  


"Don't you have classes?" Kim inquired, trying not to get her hopes up.

  
  


"Jason's going to be flying to Florida to meet up with an old friend that

he hasn't seen in a while, and neither of us start classes until winter

semester. Why don't I talk to Jase and get the details ironed out, then

we'll call you back!"

  
  


"That would be so great!" Kim's voice bubbled with renewed hope. "I've

missed you all so badly!"

  
  


"I'll give you a call tomorrow night then, okay? You get some sleep;

isn't it almost midnight there?" Trini commanded.

  
  


"Yeah, it is. I've gotta be up in about five hours anyway. So I'll talk

to you tomorrow!"

  
  


"What do you have in mind?" Jason asked after Trini hung up.

  
  


"If we can just get them together, I know they'll be able to work things

out."

  
  


"And you figure the race would be the prefect place to get them together."

Trini nodded and smiled. "What do you think?"

  
  


"I think it's a great idea." He reached for the phone and dialed Tommy's

pager number.

  
  


"Hey, Tommy, it's Jase. Just wanted to tell you that we'll see you at the

race. Let me know what your schedule is, and we'll figure out sometime to

meet up either before or after the race! Talk to you soon, I'll be here at Trini's 

tonight and most of the day tomorrow, otherwise you can catch me at 

home, CALL ME!"

  
  


* * * * * * *

  
  


Trini walked into the gym where Kim was training. After a quick survey of

the gym, she spotted her friend on the uneven bars and made her way over

to the side of the mat to watch as Kim did a well-practiced routine and

stuck her landing. Kim heard applause from behind her and spun around to

see her best friend.

  
  


"Trini! I thought you weren't gonna be here until tomorrow!" Kim sprinted

towards her friend to hug her.

  
  


"We were able to get on an earlier flight," Trini chuckled softly as she

returned the hug. As they pulled apart, Trini took a really good look at

her long-time friend and saw how tired she looked. "How have you been,

Kim, really?"

  
  


Kim glanced away briefly. Deciding to humor the girl, she looked back

into Trini's concerned face. "I'm good.... Coach has been working us to

the bone."

  
  


Trini knew the gymnast better than she thought, but figured she would 

get all the details later. "What time do you get done?" she asked anxiously,

wanting desperately to spend as much time with her friend as she could.

  
  


"Hopefully around 7:00, we can grab some dinner then, okay?" Kim

smiled brightly at the thought of spending time with someone who didn't

eat, drink and breath gymnastics.

  
  


Trini couldn't help but match Kim's wonderful smile with one of her own.

"Definitely, I'll just go back to the hotel and unpack."

  
  


Kim glanced in the direction of Coach Schmidt, and noticed he wasn't

watching her as she motioned for Trini to follow. "Where are you two

staying?" Kim teased gently, as she watched the lovely Asian girl's face

slightly flush.

  
  


"At the Marriott on Bayview Avenue, room 314," she replied softly, looking

at her former teammate with a hint of embarrassment.

  
  


"All right," Kim gushed, giving her one more hug. "I'll see ya there when

I'm finished." As she let go of her friend, she gave one more wave as she

made her way over to the balance beam.

  
  


Trini watched with a sureness she hadn't felt in quite some time; this

was going to be the vacation she would remember always.

  
  
  
  


To be continued....


	2. Chapter 02: Girl Talk

**Additional Credits:** My undying thanks to Cheryl Roberts for all her 

help with this entire story. Cheryl, if it weren't for you, this would probably 

still be in my computer collecting dust! Dawn, thanks for putting up

with my constant "Help Me!" requests!!

  
  
  
  


**Tortured Souls**

Chapter #2: Girl Talk

By Mary "Signkat" & Collaborators

  
  
  
  


Upon stepping through the giant plate glass doors, Kim's feet sank into

the plush carpet. Gentle piano music floated through the lobby, and the

sweet scent of fresh cut flowers filled the air. Feeling slightly overwhelmed, 

she took a moment to regain her senses before heading for the elevators. 

Stepping into one of the lifts, the gymnast took one last look as the doors 

slid shut. The hum of the elevator slowly began to quiet her anxieties as 

it reaches its destination. Stepping out, she glanced down the halls of the 

third floor, as she made her way towards room #314. Taking one more 

deep breath, Kim lightly knocked on the door before her. Suddenly, it was 

thrown open from the inside, and a familiar face filled the doorway.

  
  


"Jason!" Kim exclaimed, bouncing with excitement, "I've missed you! 

I can't believe you guys are really here!"

  
  


"Long time, huh? It's good to see you again, Kim!" He pulled her into a

bear hug. "Trini's still getting ready in the bathroom; she should be out

shortly," Jason supplied as he ushered his long time friend into the room,

shutting the door behind her.

  
  


"So, how are things going for the two of you?" Kim queried. 

  
  


"Couldn't be better! How are you doing?" Jason asked in his normal

brotherly fashion.

  
  


"I'm fine, just a little tired. Are you coming to dinner with us?"

  
  


Jason caught Trini's eye as she emerged from the bathroom, on the far 

side of the room, and paused momentarily before answering. "Uh no, 

I'm really tired, but you two go ahead and have fun; tomorrow we can 

all do something," he replied.

  
  


"Ready to go?" Trini picked up her jacket from the bed, and Kim turned 

her attention towards her friend.

  
  


"Whenever you are. Where do you wanna eat?" Kimberly asked, picking 

up her purse from where she had laid it on the table.

  
  


"What are you asking me for? You're the one who lives here!" Trini

bantered. To her boyfriend she said, "See ya later, hon."

  
  


Jason gave her a quick kiss. "Have fun you two!"

  
  


* * * * * * * * *

  
  


The crowded restaurant seemed to hum with the flurry of activity: 

laughter from a large party, a baby crying, wait staff busily

taking orders and bringing drinks. The busboys cleared vacated tables

and booths, just in time for them to be filled again.

  
  


In a booth to one side of the restaurant, the surroundings seemed to 

stand still as two best friends were deep in conversation. 

  
  


"I signed the lease two weeks ago; Mom and Dad like the apartment, 

but I think it'll take a while for them to get used to the idea of me 

having my own place. Anyway, it has two bedrooms, a full bath and 

a half bath, a big kitchen and living room, a patio --all the main floor 

apartments have their own patio and separate front doors. And the 

greatest part is that it's only two blocks from campus!" Trini concluded, 

sipping her drink.

  
  


"WOW! That does sound great!" Kim exclaimed, proud of her friend's 

housing search success.

  
  


"Sometimes I swear the guys will never grow up." Trini scoffed. "Jason,

Rocky, Zack and Adam were helping move our stuff from my parents 

house. The entire time, they kept making bets on how many boxes were 

mine or yours."

  
  


Kim snorted, "They can be so immature! I still can't believe that Rocky

and Jase are gonna be roommates! I'd love to be a fly on the wall when

they move in together!"

  
  


Shaking her head, Trini responded with a bright grin, "I know. I'm just

hoping Rocky doesn't get him started with drinking Jolt!"

  
  


The gymnast snickered, "Oh, I could just see that --having to pull two 

of them off the ceiling!" Then, more hesitantly, Kim asked, "So, what 

has everyone else been up to?"

  
  


Taking a sip of her soda, Trini recalled, "Let's see.... Rocky and Adam

are still teaching at the Juice Bar part time and going to A.G.U... oh,

and you probably know that Ernie's back, right?" 

  
  


"That's great - the juice bar wasn't even close to being the same without 

him," Kim agreed, her mouth watering at the thought of his famous smoothies.

  
  


Trini continued from where she left off on her imaginary checklist of

friends. "A few days after we got back from Switzerland, Zack, Jason and

I were at the mall. We ran in to Angela --she was there with her

boyfriend."

  
  


"Oh, no," sighed Kim. "How did Zack take it?"

  
  


"You know Zack, he acted as though everything was fine. Even though he 

won't admit it, I can tell that he was a little bummed. Actually, he's teaching 

his hip-hopkido at the Juice Bar three times a week and working over at 

Sam's Coffee House, so that helps keep him busy. He's doing good though." 

She paused long enough to take a bite of pasta before continuing. "Adam 

can't stand his dorm mate --he got stuck with a junior who's a major jock! 

I mean, you thought that Tommy's room was always a mess? This guy 

outdoes him by at least three times!"

  
  


"I've got to see that one!" Kim forced a chuckle out, shaking her head in

amazement. "Rocky actually called me a few weeks ago; he kept jabbering

about how he was looking forward to actually being able to have some 

peace and quiet in the dorm...."

  
  


"Yeah, going to college to get away from the rugrats --that's a new

solution!" Trini rolled her eyes as she giggled. "Anyway, a few days ago, 

the guys started discussing the option of maybe trying to pool their 

resources and rent a house near school. You know about Jason's teaching 

job at the new Dojo; we're both gonna start classes winter semester with 

Tommy. Billy's on Aquitar still. Gosh, I can't imagine living on planet 

covered with water!"

  
  


"Has anyone heard from Billy?" Kim piped up, hoping to steer the subject

of conversation as far away from her ex-boyfriend as possible.

  
  


Shaking her head as she cut her meat, Trini replied, "Not that I know of.

The last I heard from him was the letter he sent me when he left Angel Grove."

Concerned by Kim's sudden silence, Trini looked up from her plate to find

a faraway look in her best friend's eyes as she played with the straw in

her soda glass --an old nervous habit the Asian girl had seen many times

over the past few years. "Kim, I don't mean to pry." Trini began hesitantly.

  
  


"What's up?" Kim responded, making a futile attempt to sound cheerful.

  
  


Trini saw right through the girl's masquerade. "I was just wondering when

was the last time you spoke to Tommy."

  
  


Finally, Kim looked up from the flimsy plastic tube. Judging from the

look she was receiving from across the table, she knew there was no

dodging the subject any longer. "Christmas...." she admitted remorsefully.

  
  


Pure astonishment flashed across Trini's features; she couldn't believe

her ears. "You mean to tell me you haven't spoken to him in almost 

seven months?"

  
  


Shifting her eyes away from her best friend, embarrassment flushed Kim's

cheeks. For the last few months, she had secretly felt like a complete

coward for not actively searching Tommy out and explaining the letter to

him. Obviously, Trini had assumed that she had talked to him. Kim knew

there was no way to take to words --the truth-- back now; she might as

well lay it all out on the table. "Well, the few times I tried to call him, he 

wasn't home. I left a message or two, but Tommy never returned my calls,

so I figured there was probably someone else, and he didn't want to talk

to me." Kim shifted uncomfortably under her friend's gaze.

  
  


"Kim, what exactly did you say in that letter?" Trini queried with

interest.

  
  


Twisting a lock of her chestnut hair around her finger, Kim replied,

"Basically, I told him that I had found someone else, that I was happy, 

and I hoped he would find someone else." Kim recalled, shivering at 

the thought of writing it.

  
  


A hopeful smile tugging at her lips, Trini pressed on. "Really? So who's

this new guy you're going with? Someone from the team?"

  
  


"Actually, there never was anyone else," Kimberly admitted in a whisper.

  
  


Trini sat there, stunned, for the second time. "Kimberly, why did you lie 

to him?"

  
  


"Look, even before I left Angel Grove, Kat was already trying to get 

his attention all the time. Towards the end, I noticed he was paying

attention to her more than before." Her hazel eyes began to well up 

with all the unshed tears from the past months, but she managed to stay 

in control. "Besides, I couldn't handle being 5,000 miles away from him 

and still trying to maintain a relationship. With prom and everything....

Tommy should be happy, and if it's with Kat, then so be it, I guess," 

Kim confessed, trying not to show her heartache.

  
  


Recovering from her shock, Trini pursued, "So, I take it you and Kat

aren't on talking terms either then?"

  
  


Kim shrugged. "We kind of were when I left, and I figured it would 

look pretty bad if I didn't let her keep my Power Coin after all that 

had happened with Rita. It was just kind of left at the 'call me when 

you get settled in and we can chat' stuff, but I never called her and 

never heard from her either. When we were all together at Christmas, 

Kat went to visit her relatives back in Australia. I guess I just felt like 

she already had everything else of mine, so why not have my boyfriend 

too." Although she had lost all appetite by now, Kim looked down at 

the remaining plateful of food in front of her. Reaching for her fork, she 

half-heartedly stabbed a piece of chicken.

  
  


"I see; no one else has told you then?" Trini asked, now realizing how

much Kim had been left out of the information loop.

  
  


Kim's mind immediately began to race. _*Oh God, they got married! If she_

_says that, I'm gonna puke!*_ she screamed inwardly. After a long pause,

she was able to find the inner strength to ask the ten-billion-dollar

question, "Told me what?" and braced herself for the proverbial anvil that

was about to hit her.

  
  


"I'm rather surprised you don't already know," Trini explained, "but Kat's

even further away than you are. She started college in England a month

ago!"

  
  


Halting in mid-bite, Kim asked, "So her and Tommy.... Wait. What

happened to cause that?"

  
  


"I don't know the whole story, but Jason told me things had always stayed 

on the cooler side between them. However much of a relationship they 

had, Tommy ended it just before she got her scholarship to some prestigious 

fine arts college," Trini summed up. "As far as the prom, Adam, Rocky and 

their dates doubled. Tommy didn't even go." Kim remained quiet as her 

friend continued. "Just from what Adam mentioned the other day, I guess no 

one has heard much from Kat except for the couple of letters that Tommy 

received." Even though Kim didn't like hearing the truth, Trini knew her friend 

had to know.

  
  


Kim returned to poking at her salad. "Oh, that's polite of Katherine to

write," she fumed.

  
  


"I'm sure it's nothing, Kim. They're friends, just like you and Jason

are." Kim just rolled her eyes at the girl. Before the gymnast could offer 

a rebuttal, Trini changed the subject. "So, what about after the Games?

You're still coming home, aren't you? I've put your stuff in the second 

bedroom already; It'll be so great to have you as a roomie again!"

  
  


After pondering the new question for a moment, Kim replied, "I haven't

really given much thought to it; I'm supposed to go to visit my mom for a

couple months in France. Of course, she wants me to move there

permanently." Kim shook her head negatively at the thought. "I don't know

what I want to do. Maybe I'll just stay here and go to school."

  
  


Trini studied her friend's face for a moment, considering the saddened

look that came over her face since the very first moment that Tommy's name

was mentioned. "How can you say that when you're obviously not happy?"

she demanded, grabbing Kim's attention from her thoughts.

  
  


"Huh? It'd be worse in France --please! French people are so stuck up!" the

gymnast retorted in confusion. 

  
  


"Kimberly, I'm not talking about France, and you know it! Fess up; you

still love Tommy, don't you?" Trini added sternly.

  
  


"Why do you say that?" Kim challenged, knowing full well it was another

losing battle.

  
  


"The look on your face, for one. It's the same look you had the day we

were in my room and you told me about the invitation to the Pan-Global

Games; it's the same expression you had when you realized that meant

having to leave Tommy behind." Trini pointed out matter-of-factly,

studying Kim's watery eyes for an answer. "Admit it, Kim."

  
  


Feeling as though she were a small child being pushed into a corner with

nowhere else to turn, Kim erupted, "Fine. I never stopped loving him, but

I couldn't risk losing him because I wasn't there. Tommy deserves better

than me!"

  
  


Trini immediately regretted causing her friend such obvious pain. Quietly,

she responded, "No, Tommy just deserves to know the truth. Jason said

that he almost gave up being a Ranger when he got that letter. Kim, his

life revolved around the Rangers, karate, and you --not necessarily in

that order. Your letter almost killed him."

  
  


Sitting back in the booth, allowing the hurtful truth to sink in, Kim

sniffled, "I'd be surprised if he'd even speak to me after what I did!"

  
  


"You don't know that for sure unless you give him a chance, Just be 

honest with him. All men don't leave Kim - especially not ones like 

Tommy and Jason." Trini tried to reassure her. She held her hand 

out to her friend.

  
  


Pulling herself back together, Kim answered, "All right, I'll think about

it, but I'm not gonna promise anything!" She extended her hand as if to

shake on the deal.

  
  
  
  


"I know," Trini murmured, squeezing Kim's hand in return, "but at least

you'll quit beating yourself up over it and have your answer!"

  
  


A moment later the waitress approached, picking up their now 

emptied plates. "I hope you ladies have saved room for dessert!"

  
  


Kim and Trini looked at each other, instantly knowing what the other was

thinking. Kim turned to the server and said, "Yes, we'd like whatever

you offer that has the most chocolate!"

  
  


"That would be our famous Killer Chocolate Triple Fudge Cake. Two pieces

coming right up!" With a smile, the woman headed towards the kitchen to 

retrieve the high calorie confections as the two friends began to giggle.

  
  


"What food group has a way of solving all of life's problems?" Trini

teased.

  
  


Kim chimed in, "Chocolate and lots of it!"

  
  


* * * * * * * * * *

  
  
  
  


The following morning, the gym was bustling with activity as the 

U.S. gymnastics team practiced for the last time before vacation. 

Kim was on the beam with her roommate, Renee, spotting her. 

For the umpteenth time, Kim lost her balance and fell off during her 

second layout. Getting right back up, she began the routine again. 

Coach Schmidt had been watching from across the room; quietly, 

he approached Renee, whispered something that she readily agreed 

to, then walked back over to the uneven bars.

  
  


Turning back to her roommate, Renee called, "Kim, come on; let's 

take a break." 

  
  


"I just have to get this pass down first," Kim adamantly refused.

  
  


Insistently, Renee approached the end of the beam closest to her. 

  
  


"You've been at it for the last hour, it won't hurt to give yourself a 

breather." Her voice took on a stern tone.

  
  


Kim lost her footing once again, almost falling off the beam. "I guess

your right," she confessed as she jumped down. The two girls walked 

over to the bench where their towels and water bottles awaited.

  
  


"So, did you ever make a decision about if you were going to go back 

home for vacation?" Renee asked.

  
  


"Home? Where's that?" Kim half teased, taking a swig from her water

bottle. "Actually, two of my friends just got into town last night, so I'm

just going to hang around here."

  
  


Pulling a small gray towel out from her bag, Renee sarcastically retorted,

"Oh, I see; that way you can get in all the practice you want so you can

beat my ass at the Games!"

  
  


Kim smiled, although it faded quickly, "Oh yeah, 'Nea; you found me out!"

  
  


Recalling the sounds from the television that had woken her up in the wee

hours, Renee ventured, "It didn't sound like you got much sleep last

night. Are you all right?"

  
  


"No, I didn't. I guess my mind's somewhere else today...." Kim shrugged,

rubbing her dark circled eyes with her fingers.

  
  


"It must be; last week you could do that pass perfectly in your sleep!

What's going on?"

  
  


Kim half smiled at her roommate's insistence; she suddenly realized what

it was about Renee that she liked so much. Trini would have said that if

she were here. _*I wonder if these two could have been sisters in a_

_previous life!*_ she mused. Finally, she asked, "Renee, do you think that

apologies can make up for major things --I mean like hurting someone?"

  
  


Taking a moment to consider the question, Renee replied, "I'm not sure;

communication can do a lot, so I guess it could. Why do you ask?"

  
  


"I think I made a huge mistake sending Tommy that letter...." Kim admitted

shamefully.

  
  


Putting an arm around her roommate's shoulders, Renee sighed, "Somehow 

I had a feeling that you would regret doing that. Please tell me that

you've talked to him since the letter."

  
  


"No, I want to, but every time I've tried to call or sit down and start 

to write an apology letter, I get so scared... I just can't do it," Kim

confided to her roommate, taking a sip from her own water bottle.

  
  


Shaking her head, Rene advised sternly, "Don't write him another letter,

Kim."

  
  


Quickly wiping away a stray tear, the torn young woman admitted "I gave 

up on that anyway. I can't get past the 'Dear Tommy' part."

  
  


"What do you think he'd say if you did call?" Renee questioned, sneaking 

a look at the coach to find him still studying their teammate's routine on

the uneven bars.

  
  


Kim contemplated the question for a moment. "Probably something like,

'Don't call me again, click'. I really hurt him; I might as well have

gone and smacked him myself. I just wish I could take it all back!"

  
  


"Well, then I suggest you get your butt to a phone and call him, pronto!

Waiting's not gonna make it any better, Kim! What's it gotten you so

far?" With that, Renee set down her water bottle and headed over to 

one of the empty floor mats to practice her routine. Kim stood there 

for a moment, watching her go. Then with a small boost of confidence, 

she grabbed her warmup jacket and headed for the door.

  
  


A few minutes later, her heart racing with nervous adrenaline, Kim sat

down on her bed, holding the phone. Her shaky fingers dialed the familiar

numbers. The other end rang once, twice, three times, then it was picked

up. Kim's breath caught in her throat, then the words met her ear: 

  
  


*"Hey, you've reached the Olivers', we can't get to the phone right now,

but leave a message and we'll get back to you as soon as we can....

BEEP!"* 

  
  


Re-cradling the handset, Kim rested her face in her cupped hands, as hot,

uncontrollable tears began to stream down her cheeks. Pushing the phone 

away, she curled up on her bed and allowed the emotions to take over as 

her mind ran a race of it's own.

  
  


_*Trini and Renee are right. I have to talk to him somehow; I just wish I _

_had the courage to. God, what would I have done if he actually answered _

_the phone just now? Hung up on him probably! Damn, why did I even write _

_that letter in the first place? It was selfish of me... here I thought it was for _

_the best, and I end up ruining his life!*_ Kim mentally reprimanded herself. 

Suddenly, She could all but hear her mothers voice with it's scolding tone 

echoing in her head. 'Men will only have their way with you and then leave 

you for someone better! He'll only try and make you give up your dreams, 

then where will you be?' With all her might, Kim willed the older women's 

voice from her thoughts. _*Why do I feel like I gave up my life to fulfill _

_someone else's dream then? I hate myself! Why did I throw away the best _

_thing in my life? Tommy was my strength since I met him, and I just _

_abandoned him like yesterday's newspaper. I don't blame him for wanting_

_nothing to do with me... Wish I could have nothing to do with myself!*_

  
  


Wiping away the tears, Kim slowly rose from the bed and crossed the room.

Opening her bottom dresser drawer, she reached under a small stack of 

folded t-shirts and pulled out a stuffed green dragon. Returning to her curled 

up position on the bed, Kim clutched the squishy animal to her chest as though 

it would disappear the moment she let go. "I wish I never came to Florida! 

What am I going to do Draco?" the puffy-eyed girl asked aloud, stroking the 

inanimate animals tail.

  
  


As the tears finally subsided, emptiness and sorrow were all that 

remained inside. Her eyes burned fiercely from crying. Glancing at 

the clock, a small alarm went off in Kim's mind. _*20 minutes! Crap, _

_Coach has probably noticed I'm not there by now! But I can't go _

_back to practice looking like this or he'll surely ask what's wrong. _

_I'll just close my eyes for a few minutes til the burning goes away, _

_then go get some cold water. What will another 5 minutes matter, _

_really? I mean, what's the worst thing he can do to me - Send me _

_home??*_ she questioned. Taking a deep breath, Kim allowed her tired 

eyes to close as she tried to push her swirling emotions and thoughts 

from her mind and calm herself enough to concentrate on the job 

ahead - Gymnastics. Slowly, calmness came and took over her 

consciousness, as her breathing became shallow.

  
  


* * * * * * * * *

  
  


"Kim..." A voice from far away called as she felt herself being shaken. 

  
  


"Kim...Kim, wake up!"

  
  


Forcing her eyelids open, She was surprised to see Renee standing next 

to her. A quick glance at the clock, caused reality to hit the girl like a 

freight train. _*5:30! Practice!!*_ her mind screamed as she bolted upright. 

"Oh god Renee, I must have fallen asleep, Coach is gonna kill me!" Kim 

startled, scrambling to her feet.

  
  


"No, just consider yourself lucky, Harte. When Coach asked where you 

ran off to, I explained to him that you have been getting migraine's lately 

and went to take some aspirin. I guess he bought it since he told me to 

come and check on you in an hour and if you weren't feeling better to take 

you to the clinic for some Midrin and send you to bed for the rest of 

the day. When I came up before lunch and found you asleep, I figured 

that it was for the best." Renee paused, a small grin overtook her face. 

"The odd thing is that Coach Schmidt actually ended practice 10 minutes ago!"

  
  


"Wait, Usually we end up saying late. What brought that on do you suppose?" 

Kim smirked as her roommate took a few steps towards the door. 

  
  


"I'm not sure - but lets get out of here before he changes his mind!" A moment 

after the girl disappeared around into the next room, Kim opened her dresser, 

pulling out a pair of faded blue jeans and a t-shirt. Setting both pieces on the 

bed before she began undressing. "Any luck with your phone call? I'd assume 

that's why you left practice." Renee called.

  
  


"No, no one was home." Kim reciprocated after a slight hesitation.

  
  


"Although it was something like 11:30 when you left practice? So that would 

make it what - 8:30 in California? Maybe he already left for school? Try him 

again when we get back, He can't be out ALL the time!" Came the girls reassuring 

advice. Kim could only hope that her roommate was right, however she wasn't 

quite sure she was up to testing the theory. "So, what are you and your friends 

doing tonight?" Renee's voice interrupted her thoughts.

  
  


"Don't know. I haven't talked to Jason or Trini yet today. When are you heading 

home?"

  
  


"The crack of dawn! If you don't think Trini and Jason would mind a forth, why 

don't you call them and we could all go do something!" Came the overly-spunky 

girls' reply as she bounced back into her flat mates room. Kim nodded in silent 

agreement to the idea. Picking up the phone, she dialed the hotel number.

  
  


* * * * * ** * * * *

  
  


"Oh no, not again!" Kim cringed as the Neon orange colored ball ricocheted 

off the windmill's moving blades and rolled into the shallow water with a splash.

  
  


"Kim, you do realize that you don't get to deduct points for putting it into the 

water hazard, Don't you?" Jason teased his long-time friend as she tried to 

retrieve her ball before it was washed under the windmills blade. Shaking the 

cold water from her hand, The caramel-haired girl turned to regard the others. 

Jason was already placing his ball on the putting green, while Trini and Renee 

continued talking. To Kim's delight, the two girls had hit it off famously from 

the first 'hello'. As she watched them from afar for a moment, Kimberly couldn't 

help but smile at the gabbing pair. Suddenly, Renee's expression changed from 

one of concern to one of complete surprise. The blonde-haired gymnast glanced in 

Kim's direction before whispering something to Trini. With matching smiles, 

both girls nodded as if in agreement as Kim made her way over to them. 

  
  


"What's going on? Are you two taking bets on how many more times I'm 

going to put the ball in the water?" the ex-Pink Ranger smiled as she joined 

the pair. Both girls immediately hugged her, causing Kim to wonder just what 

they had been talking about. 

  
  


"Promise me that you'll keep an open mind during vacation" Renee's voice 

held a certainty that Kim hadn't heard before. 

  
  


With slight hesitation, she nodded in response to her roommates wishes. Kim 

was about to requisition the grinning duo as to what they were planning behind 

her back, when the familiar yell cut through the air. All three turned to see what 

was the matter, the sight that greeted them caused each female to laugh out of 

confusion. 

  
  


"Yes, I did it! I can't believe it went in!" He whooped with joy as he nearly bounced 

toward the females. Arms outstretched, he tackled the trio in a massive bear hug. 

Upon releasing his captors, The ecstatic bundle of muscles saw the dumbfounded 

look that now possessed each face. 

  
  


"What are you so happy about?" Trini probed, as a smile once again spread across 

her lips.

  
  


Jason couldn't believe his ears, wasn't his feat pretty obvious? This was a par three 

hole - one of the most difficult ones on the course. She had to be kidding! "I got a 

hole in one! It went over the water hazard, between the windmill's blades, through 

the log tunnel, around the rock-bed and into the hole! Didn't you guys see it?" 

  
  


As he watched Trini shake her head negatively, Jason's bright beaming face 

dimmed slightly.

  
  


Turning his eyes toward Kimberly, he watched her echo his girlfriends response. 

His gaze slid from one roommate to the other, hoping against hope that the answer 

would change.

  
  


"Sorry Jason." Renee replied fragilely. "Sounds like it was a great shot though."

  
  


Kim found the deflated expression that beheld the young man's face, combined 

with the blank wide-eyed stare, to be almost humourous. Unable to stifle a giggle, 

She took a step toward her long-time friend. 

  
  


"Well, You could always give us an instant replay!" Just as the comment left her 

lips, She found herself on the receiving end of a look that yelled 'you've got to be 

kidding me!'. Shaking his head, Jason turned back towards the golf course to retrieve 

his ball from it's resting place.

  
  


"Women! Go figure!"

  
  
  
  


To be continued.... 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. Chapter 03: Trading Stories

**Additional Credits:** My undying thanks to Cheryl Roberts & Dawn 

for their help with this entire story. If it weren't for you two, this would

probably still be in my computer collecting dust!

  
  
  
  


**Tortured Souls**

Chapter 3: Trading Stories 

By Mary "Signkat"& Collaborators

  
  
  
  


The late morning sun reflected brightly on the ocean's surface as it

climbed higher into the cloudless Floridian sky. A small flock of birds

swooped over the calm waves in search of small fish. Amidst the crowded

beach, Trini and Kimberly managed to find a quiet place to soak up the rays.

  
  


"What's Jase up to this morning?" the pink bikini-clad girl asked,

applying suntan lotion to her arm.

  
  


"He was already up and gone for a run when I woke up. He left a note

saying that he'd page me and meet up with us later. We were thinking

about going to a club or something tonight," Trini answered from her

towel.

  
  


Setting the lotion bottle in the sand between them, Kim laid back and

inquired curiously, "How exactly did the two of you hook up anyway?"

  
  


"I got a chance to see a side of him that I never knew existed, until the

Peace Conference. Even with being Rangers together, I had always 

thought of him as the jock- type," Trini divulged quietly.

  
  


Hesitantly, Kim asked, "So, what about Billy?"

  
  


"What about Billy? I mean I still want him in my life as a friend. But

as far as ever being more between us than friendship? I waited for him 

as long as I could. Kim, over the past few years, he's had a thousand

chances to ask me on a date or to do something other than study, but 

he never did. I have known all long that Billy liked me. I didn't want 

to scare him off, so I just sat back and let him take the lead. I even

thought that maybe when I told him about Geneva, he might feel like 

'it's now or never'. Even when he saw us off at the airport, all he did 

was hug me and say 'good luck'. I wish him all the best on Aquitar. 

Maybe he'll find what he needs to open up there." Kim reached

over to touch Trini's arm as she concluded, "Jason has been really sweet

and supportive of the whole situation."

  
  


"So tell me about you two!" Kim pleaded.

  
  


Trini reached for her lemonade, taking a long sip before answering 

her anxious friend. "One night when we were at the conference, 

Jase knew something was wrong. I had gotten the letter from Billy 

that day, saying he was leaving for Aquitar and probably not to 

return anytime soon. I must have read the letter over and over again 

at least ten times, insisting that I had missed something. I mean there 

was absolutely no 'technobabble' in the letter whatsoever. Even after 

he lost his Powers, there was always at least some of it in his letters."

  
  


A slightly worried look crossed the gymnast's face. "Billy without

'technobabble?' Something must have been wrong!"

  
  


"I know. Well, after dinner, I went for a walk up to this one hilltop

that I consider my thinking spot because it reminded me of the park 

back home. Anyhow, Jase followed me that night...."

  
  


* * * * * *

  
  


_Settling down on a boulder, Trini pulled the letter from its envelope,_

_re-reading it for the hundredth time, hoping that somehow the words _

_had magically re-arranged themselves. With a heavy heart, she knew _

_she couldn't deny the truth. He was gone. From the corner of her eye, _

_she picked up movement --someone approaching. Lifting her head, she _

_focused on Jason. Carefully re-folding the letter, she placed it back in _

_the gray envelope._

  
  


_"Hey, Jason, what are you doing up here?" she chimed in her usually_

_friendly tone._

  
  


_Approaching her side, he replied, "I was just about to ask you the same_

_thing."_

  
  


_"I've come up here a few times when I just needed to think," Trini_

_explained. "I think this is one of the few things I'll miss when the_

_conference is over."_

  
  


_Leaning against the side of her rock, Jason studied his friend's confused_

_expression for a moment before taking in the view of the mountains that_

_lay before them. "Great view, too!"_

  
  


_A glance sideways told him that she hadn't heard the comment. "You've_

_been acting distant since lunch. I was wondering if there was anything_

_wrong."_

  
  


_Her train of thought now broken, Trini looked down at the envelope _

_still in her hand, frowning. "Well, I got this letter from Billy earlier." _

_She held it up for Jason to see._

  
  


_"Did he have some bad news?"_

  
  


_Trini shrugged. "I really don't know what to make of it, to tell you _

_the truth."_

  
  


_Tentatively, he reached out. "Would you mind if I read it?"_

  
  


_For a moment, Trini hesitated before handing it to him._

  
  
  
  


_Dear Trini,_

_Hope all is going well with the conference. We have had a lot of_

_precipitation here in Angel Grove the last week --as Kim always _

_called it, 'Duck Weather.' I guess I should get used to it, considering _

_my upcoming extended trip. Since I feel I have outlived my usefulness _

_in the Power Chamber, I have decided to take Cestria up on her offer _

_and go to Aquitar. They require help with their transportation systems, _

_and I believe that I could be of great assistance. I have told my parents _

_that I have been accepted at a university in Beijing, China on a full _

_scholarship and will be starting as soon as possible. I haven't made a _

_decision on how long I am going to stay on Aquitar --I'm just going to _

_wait and see. I may try to come home for a few 'vacations' so as not to _

_get my parents' suspicions up, although I have not decided. _

_Until then, I will miss you all. Billy_

  
  
  
  


_"I never thought I'd see the day when I'd understand Billy without a_

_translator," Jason wisecracked quietly, handing the letter back to its_

_owner._

  
  


_Shaking her head, the once-Yellow Ranger murmured, "It doesn't sound _

_like Billy in the least. Not the Billy I knew."_

  
  


_"Have you tried to call him?"_

  
  


_"Yeah, his father said that he left for China this morning." Her gaze_

_returned to the snow-covered mountaintops as the sun set gracefully _

_behind them._

  
  


_"If you don't mind my asking, what were you hoping he'd say?" Jason _

_asked with quiet emphasis._

  
  


_"I like you?" Trini supplied hesitantly. "Maybe something along those_

_lines at least."_

  
  


_Stepping a little closer to the beauty before him, Jason studied her_

_quizzically for a moment. "Are you sure he felt that way?" His fingers_

_brushed her delicate hand accidentally. "Trini, I don't mean to burst_

_your bubble, but William Cranston has never been the type to admit to_

_anyone, let alone a female, his private feelings. If it doesn't involve_

_circuitry, wires, or long Latin names, then he doesn't feel comfortable_

_about being open with it. He holds everyone and everything at an arm's_

_length!"_

  
  


_Jason had hit the nail on the head, and she knew it. "I just thought that_

_he would have gotten comfortable enough around me over the last five _

_years to let me get a little closer."_

  
  


_"We all hoped that. Just like I had always hoped that I might get a_

_chance sometime." As the words escaped his lips, Jason was immediately_

_ashamed of himself for uttering them. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have said_

_that!"_

  
  


_The bluntness of the words had nearly knocked her over. Straightening, _

_he turned to flee, only to be stopped after three steps. "Jason, wait!" _

_she called after him, abandoning her perch. "Please, what did you mean? _

_About getting a chance?"_

  
  


_He was unable to face her, for fear of rejection. The slight tinkling_

_sound of her dangle earrings warned him of her approach. "I have a_

_confession to make to you, Trini. Ever since we were lab partners in_

_biology freshman year, I've had a crush on you. I couldn't believe the_

_luck when both of us were picked for the conference... but with Billy in_

_the picture, I knew nothing other than friendship would ever be able to_

_come of it. I didn't want anything that I did to cause problems for the_

_two of you, so I decided it was best to stay in the shadows and not push_

_my luck."_

  
  


_After what seemed like an eternity, Jason turned to find the girl of his_

_dreams standing directly before him. Intense astonishment touched her_

_pale face. In a fragile voice, she responded, "Jason, I'm not sure what_

_to say. I never knew."_

  
  


_Breathing deeply, now that his secret was out in the open, Jason added, _

_"I didn't want you to know --that's why I never let on. I knew you had_

_feelings for Billy, and I didn't want to cause you any hardships." _

  
  


_Inwardly, Trini began to realize that he was not what she had always_

_thought. "So, that's why when I would be working with Kim on gymnastics,_

_you would watch me."_

  
  


_"I didn't think I was that obvious."_

  
  


_"You weren't --at least not to me; Kim pointed it out." As her cheeks_

_continued to burn, a new and unexpected warmth surged through her _

_body. "Why didn't you ever give me a hint?"_

  
  


_"I didn't want you to know. I was afraid that something like this would_

_ruin my friendship with either you or Billy," he admitted freely. "Trini,_

_I don't want to lose you as a friend because of what I just said."_

  
  


_"You're nowhere close to losing me."_

  
  


_Slowly, Jason's arms enveloped Trini in a hug. After a moment, she_

_slipped her arms under his and up around his shoulders._

  
  


_"Thanks for understanding," she murmured._

  
  


_"Anytime. You know I'd do anything for you...."_

  
  
  
  


* * * * * * *

  
  


Kim thoughtfully sipped from her water bottle, as she listened intently to

her friend's story.

  
  


"From then on, Jason was always by my side. He didn't try to push or rush

me into anything. We'd go for long walks and talk about everything and

anything. He was just there whenever I needed him. What can I say? I

guess I fell in love with him!"

  
  


Quickly getting to her knees, the spunky gymnast reached over and hugged

her glowing friend. "I'm so happy for you two! I had a feeling that

someone would find their soulmate overseas!" Kim gushed.

  
  


"My mom wouldn't stop hugging us when we returned to Angel Grove and 

told her!" Trini beamed "Wanna go take a dip in the water?"

  
  


Stopping only momentarily to brush a patch of sand from her pink suit, Kim

challenged, "Sure, I'll race ya! Ready? Set? Go!" She took a bit of a

head start before calling 'go'. Trini immediately gave chase, leaving

their towels to get a suntan of their own.

  
  


* * * * * * *

  
  


Turning into the motel parking lot, he immediately spotted the racing

team's trailer with a white 4x4 parked next to it. Pulling the rental car

into the open spot next to the pickup, Jason stepped out and pulled a

piece of paper from his pocket. _*Room 216,*_ he read to himself. 

Glancing at the double row of rooms, he found it and headed for the 

second floor, taking two steps at a time. Within seconds, he was knocking 

on the door. After a loud mumble and the sound of stumbling, the door 

swung open.

  
  


"Jase! Good to see ya man!" Tommy squealed like a kid at Christmas, 

his wet hair still plastered to his forehead. He grabbed his best friend 

in a massive bear hug, nearly lifting him off of his feet.

  
  


"Good to see ya, too, bro! Down, boy!" Jason coughed out. "When did 

you get in?" the darker haired boy asked as he stepped into his friend's room.

  
  


"Yesterday morning. Practiced all day on the track, and had time trials

this morning. I ended up falling asleep after I called you earlier and

didn't wake up until about 15 minutes ago. I'll be ready in a sec."

Grabbing a shirt from the closet, Tommy headed back into the bathroom.

  
  


As Jason sat down in the only empty chair, he couldn't help but smile

_*Same ol' Tommy!*_ he thought as his eyes scanned the room. Suitcase 

in the middle of the floor, clothes everywhere, the bed covers lying on 

the floor... _*I bet he's been jumping on it!*_ Jason chuckled to himself,

remembering the time when the two of them had been yelled at for the 

doing the exact thing on his bed and ended up breaking part of the frame. 

_*Who says sixteen is too old to jump on your bed!*_

  
  


A few minutes later, Tommy emerged dressed and his wet hair pulled back 

in a ponytail. After picking up most of the clothing on the floor, he threw

them and the empty suitcase into the closet. He retrieved his shoes and

socks from another duffle bag and plopped down on the bed to dress his

feet. "I hope this movie is better than that one with all those famous

people that got turned into aliens. That was so stupid!"

  
  


"What did you expect? Rocky picked that one!" Jason groaned. 

"So, how's the race track treatin' ya?"

  
  


Shoving his foot into a shoe, Tommy replied, "Can't complain. No first

place wins, but I've never come in last place either. At least it's

college money!"

  
  


"It'll be so great to have you at A.G.U.!"

  
  


"How are things with Trini? What exactly happened to get you guys

together?" Tommy asked, holding his other shoe in his hand.

  
  


"I guess we kinda realized we had a lot in common at the peace conference.

I mean, spending so much time around each other, we got to see a side of

each other we couldn't have before --with Zordon calling us every other

second and stuff."

  
  


"Yeah, that was the only pain.... The monsters seemed to know just when 

we didn't need their attack! So, where is Trini?"

  
  


"She's with Kim. I think they went to the beach or the mall or something.

You know how they are!" Jason grinned playing with the collar of his 

open jean shirt.

  
  


In an attempt to hide the hurt at the mention of his former girlfriend's

name, Tommy began adjusting the laces of the shoe that he still held.

"...How's she doing?" the grief-stricken boy asked hesitantly.

  
  


"Trini's good; she keeps talking about...."

  
  


"No, actually, I meant Kimberly," Tommy interjected.

  
  


Slightly surprised by the question, Jason looked up at his friend and 

just now noticed how serious his friend's face had become. "Uh... well, 

I guess she's doing okay. Trini talks to her a lot more than I do. Last

time I really got a chance to talk to her at any length was just after she

came down here. I figured you'd have talked to her more than I have!"

  
  


"I haven't talked or heard from her since she sent me that letter."

  
  


"You never even called to ask her about it?"

  
  


Hanging his head, Tommy shrugged. "I guess I figured that if she wanted 

to hear from me so badly, she'd call me."

  
  


"Tommy, Tommy, Tommy.... I think you need to understand something 

about Kim. I've known her since third grade. Heck, ever since her brother 

went off to military school, I've considered her my little sister! And if

there's one thing I know about Kimberly Harte is that she is a very strong

person; she's doesn't give up easily on anything. Besides, her mom won't

allow her give up when it comes to gymnastics. But if Kim thinks that

she's done something to hurt or make someone she really cares about upset

with her, she'll avoid them like the plague."

  
  


"What are you talking about? Kim wouldn't run from anything!" Tommy

stated loudly, which did not go unnoticed by his best friend. 

  
  


"Maybe not when it comes to Ranger business, but when it comes to love 

and getting hurt... she gets scared easily. Her self defense mechanism is to

run. I'm sure there must have been one or two times when the two of you

were alone and she seemed skittish," Jason alluded, recalling a few late

night conversations with his current girlfriend and their female best

friend. The pair had tried numerous times to help bolster the girls

confidence in the male species. 

  
  


A slight nod from Tommy confirmed his suspicions. "In the beginning, she

was. I asked Trini once if I was doing something to make her jumpy. She

warned me to steer clear of asking Kim anything about her father, brother,

or her eating habits, and to give her some time. She wouldn't tell me what

was going on though. After a little while, Kim seemed to be more

comfortable with our relationship than in the beginning and things were

fine." Tommy hesitated, as he mulled the memories over. "A couple of

weeks before she left for Florida, she began acting real jumpy again - but

I just assumed it was because of the whole Kat stealing her coin for Rita

and Zedd ordeal," he finished.

  
  


"Yeah, well, that's not the half of it. I should've told you this a long

time ago. But we all promised not to talk about it with anyone. For as

long as I can remember, Kim's parents were either constantly fighting or

giving each other the silent treatment. It was only after the divorce was

filed and Mr. Harte moved to Washington state that her mom found out 

for sure that he had been having a multitude of affairs. For years I might

add. The year and a half before Kim's father left, things around the Harte

house were pretty vicious. From the things I witnessed between her

parents, the fighting became somewhat physical, too," Jason sighed, as he

pushed those memories from his mind.

  
  


"You mean like hitting? They never laid a hand on Kim, did they?" Tommy

demanded, as if his ears must have been playing an evil trick on him. He

never imagined anything like that happening to someone he knew, especially

someone so close to him.

  
  


"Not that I know of," Jason answered, running his hand through his short,

dark locks. "Kim was a basket case, though. She was sure they were

splitting because of something she had or hadn't done. In her words, 

'if I was maybe a better gymnast or a better daughter, they wouldn't be

getting a divorce.' She began spending more and more time at the gym 

that her mother had enrolled her at. When she wasn't at school, that's 

the only place you could find her; nearly killing herself to achieve absolute

perfection on every piece of apparatus. Her grades took a nose-dive. If

it wasn't for Billy and Trini, she would have never passed. Her brother

broke off all contact from the family. We all took turns having her stay

at our houses on the weekends, though it quickly became a regular 

occurrence for Kim to show up at someone's window at 1:00 or 2:00 

in the morning. Her parents wouldn't even realize or didn't care that 

she was gone!" Jason declared, watching the restraint in Tommy's face, 

though the boy's eyes screamed anger and sadness as he continued to listen.

  
  


"Mrs. Harte lectured her at every opportunity about how men like her

father were bad, that they would just use a woman for what they wanted,

then throw them away like spoiled leftovers. Even though she always 

kept a smile plastered on her face, Kim became so afraid of being alone... 

I think it still scares the shit out of her sometimes. She stopped eating

lunch at school. And the times she stayed at my house, she only ate as

little as she could get away with. I really don't think she ate at home.

You think she's skinny now? At one point, Kim was like a china doll. 

Over a period of about 3 months, her weight went from about 110 down 

to 85 pounds! She looked like the kids in the famine countries, that you 

see on those commercials asking for financial help. Billy could pick her up 

with one arm. I couldn't believe that her mom didn't seem alarmed at her 

drastic weight loss." Jason couldn't help but shake his head at the memory 

of his friend's bad times.

  
  


"We tried everything to keep Kim eating at least something. But short 

of strapping her down and shoving it down her throat, it seemed hopeless.

Billy and I finally approached Mrs. Harte about the situation, but she was 

too caught up in her own life to even listen. In the end, the only thing that

saved Kim from herself was when she passed out in the Command Center.

Afterwards, she admitted that it wasn't the first time she had blacked

out. Zordon helped us get her signed into the hospital and into a

rehabilitation program. The hospital released her about three weeks before

we met you at the karate tournament. Without Zordon's help, I really

think we would've lost her, Tommy," Jason admitted softly.

  
  


Tommy's face turned ghostly white as the last words hit his ears. "I don't

believe it! What are you saying, Jase? Kim somehow thought that I might

hurt her the same way her father did her mom?" he demanded suddenly.

  
  


"Maybe," came the boy's quiet reply.

  
  


"I've gotta talk to her, Jase," insisted Tommy, clearly ready to beg his

best friend for help if it came to it. 

  
  


"I'm supposed to join Trini and Kim later on; I just have to page Trini 

to find out where they want to meet up. Maybe you could surprise her?" 

Jason suggested.

  
  


Tommy stood up to retrieve his room key, pager, and truck keys before 

the two boys headed for the door. "Yeah, I guess I could," he murmured

softly, before letting out a long sigh, as he let the information sink in. 

  
  


"We should probably get going if we want to make the show. I just have 

to go leave a message for Uncle Jon at the main desk, then we can take off."

  
  


Minutes later, in the front office, Tommy was writing a message for his

uncle.

  
  


"Mr. Oliver," the lady behind the desk called out as she approached him

before continuing, "This message was taken for you very early this

morning." She handed him a pink slip of paper.

  
  


"Oh, thanks," Tommy said, taking it from her without looking at it, as he

finished the note he was writing. 

  
  


As the two boys headed for the truck, Tommy glanced down at the message. 

  
  


Jason heard his friend mumble, then watched with faint concern as Tommy

wadded up the paper and shoved it deep into his pocket. "Bad news?" 

  
  


Tommy shook his head. "Just a message from Kat. She wanted me to call 

her in England as soon as I got in."

  
  


"We've got a few minutes to spare if you want to call her back now," Jason

offered, peeking at his watch.

  
  


"Nah, I'll do it later; it's no big deal," Tommy replied as he opened the

door and slid in behind the wheel. 

  
  


"It's your call, Bro," Jason jibed from the passenger seat, "I still think

it's cool how the timing of your race and our vacation turned out!" 

  
  


As the 4X4 roared to life, Tommy beamed, "I just hope I run good enough

for you guys tomorrow!"

  
  


To be continued....


	4. Chapter 04: Are You Strong Enough?

**Author Notes**: I don't own the Power Ranger, or the songs 

"Distance" by Jamie Walters; and "Strong Enough (to be my man)" 

by Sheryl Crow... With that said, on with the story!

  
  


**Disclaimer:** If you really wanna read this, Please see chapter 1!

  
  
  
  


**Tortured Souls**

Chapter #4: Are You Strong Enough?

By Mary "Signkat" and a lot of help!

  
  
  
  


The wooden floor pulsated rhythmically beneath their chairs, as the

wildly moving colored lights bounced off the dance floor's occupants.

  
  


"I don't know why I agreed to this. You know I hate being fixed up,

Trini!" Kim contested over the sound from the dance floor.

  
  


"Oh come on, Kim. It's about time you got out and had some fun! 

Besides, this guy sounds great. I'm sure if Jason didn't trust him or think 

that you two wouldn't get along, he wouldn't have even suggested it," Trini

insisted, as if the reasons were obvious.

  
  


"Do you seriously think we'd let you get hurt?" she added, letting her

closest friend ponder it for a few moments.

  
  


The soft tempo of a ballad reached Trini's ears as she watched the crowd

on the dance floor dissipate. Catching the gazes of a few young

gentlemen, Trini quickly looked away as she began scanning the crowd

near the door again for any sign of the guys. Within seconds, she

spotted the familiar face of her one true love.

  
  


"Oh, there's Jason!" she exclaimed as she jumped up out of her seat,

waving her hand frantically, trying to catch his attention.

  
  


"Hey, we finally made it," he called out, returning her wave as he made

his way over to them.

  
  


"Have you gals been here long?" Jason questioned, threading his arms

around his girlfriend's waist to hug her.

  
  


"No, only about 15 minutes or so," replied Trini, as she melted into the

embrace. Casting a look over Jason's shoulder, Trini frowned when she

was unable to see his companion.

  
  


"Where's your friend?"

  
  


"He had to use the restroom, but he saw where the table was and will be

here in a minute. Do you wanna dance, my lady?" Jason asked in his most

gallant voice, while offering his hand to her.

  
  


Trini blushed just slightly, but continued on with their secret game. 

"I would be honored, kind sir."

  
  


A huge smile lit up Jason's face as he pulled Trini away from the table.

  
  


"Have fun,Kim, and remember, OPEN MIND!" shrieked the young lady in

yellow, as Jason scooped her up, then twirled her around before settling

into the flow of the multitude of couples that occupied the floor.

  
  


Sighing quietly, Kim slumped in her chair, as she watched the outpouring

of love that was displayed on the floor in front of her. So many happy

couples clung tightly to each other in hopes that they could somehow get

even closer. Slowly, the song lyrics began to seep through her

thoughts.

  
  
  
  


**God I feel like hell tonight**

**Tears of rage I cannot fight**

  
  


_*God, why did they have to play this song?*_ Kim groaned to herself.

  
  


**I'd be the last to help you understand**

**Are you strong enough to be my man?**

  
  


_*Oh Tommy, if you only knew....*_

  
  


**Nothing's true and nothing's right**

**So let me be alone tonight**

**You can't change the way I am**

**Are you strong enough to be my man?**

  
  


_*Whatever I want never seems to matter as much as what *she* ___

_wants - and it doesn't matter what I have to give up to accomplish it! _

_I'm beginning to think that I'm just a puppet, and not a person. Why _

_couldn't I have just told you how hard it was for me? But then, I guess _

_trusting has always been my weakness.*_

  
  


**But please, don't leave.**

**I have a face I cannot show**

**I make the rules up as I go**

  
  


Kim fought against the inevitable wetness that trembled on her eyelids

and threatened to assault her cheeks once more. _*I ruined the best_

_thing I ever had by sending you that STUPID letter... I'm so sorry,_

_Tommy,*_ she pleaded inwardly. Closing her eyes, the guilt-stricken

gymnast swallowed hard as a single tear escaped. Wiping it away

hastily, Kim forced her mind to change subjects.

  
  


**It's try and love me if you can**

**Are you strong enough to be my man?**

**When I've shown you that I just don't care**

**When I'm throwing punches in the air**

**When I'm broken down and cannot stand**

**Will you be strong enough to be my man?**

  
  


**Lie to me**

**I Promise I'll believe**

**Lie to me**

**But please, don't leave.**

  
  
  
  


As the harmony faded, Kim realized what a horrible idea coming here was,

even if her two friends had the best of intentions. The DJ started up

another slow song. Taking a deep breath, she slowly opened her eyes,

the thought of leaving had just occurred to her when she felt someone

tap her on the shoulder. Cautiously, the former Ranger turned to see a

hand being extended to her. A chill unexpectedly made its way up her

back as her eyes drifted upwards to see whom the hand belonged to.

  
  


Kim nearly fell out of her chair when she saw the person standing before

her.

  
  


"Would you care to dance, Beautiful?" Tommy smiled his heart-melting

smile at the shocked woman before him.

  
  


Unable to form a coherent sentence, she could only gape at him in

bewilderment.

  
  


"Kim, it's all right --it's just me..." he soothed, as the girl's shock

began to crumble away.

  
  


Slowly, she took his hand and allowed her one-time boyfriend to lead her

to the dance floor. Slipping his arms around her waist, Tommy drew her a

little closer.

  
  


He heard her gasp softly as their bodies touched for the first time in

ages. It took Kim a few moments before she finally rested her head on

his chest, though the rest of her body remained rigid.

  
  


**In the Beginning**

**We were much too brave**

**We had our love and we were saved**

**We've come so far**

**And that's not how we are no more**

**Tell me why things have got to change**

**We held love in our hands**

**Why we tore it apart**

**I just don't understand**

  
  


_*What is he doing here?*_

  
  


**There's a distance between us**

**Now you feel so far away**

**The distance between us**

**How did we ever get this way**

**Oh baby don't slip away**

  
  


_*What happened, Kim?*_

  
  


**Now it's raining**

**And I'm driving much too fast**

**How can a city be so dark**

  
  


_*Oh God, what do I tell him? He's bound to ask why I sent it!*_

  
  


**There's this sensation**

**Feeding on itself**

**I've got to get to where you are**

  
  


_*I want to understand why you did it... was I really in the way of your_

_dreams? Or were you afraid of something?*_

  
  


**We held love in our hands**

**Why we tore it apart**

**I just don't understand**

  
  


_*I wonder where Kat is... probably planning her victory party _

_about now!*_

  
  


**There's a distance between us**

**Now you feel so far away**

**The distance between us**

**How did we ever get this way**

**Oh baby don't slip away**

  
  


_*I'd be lying if I didn't say that I want us back --I miss you,_

_Kimberly.*_

  
  


**I want to reach out and pull you close to me**

  
  


_*I still love you, Beautiful.*_

  
  


**Wanna make you remember**

**Just how good it used to be**

  
  


_*I wish I could take back all my mistakes. I want us back, Tommy!*_

  
  


**There's a distance between us**

**Now you feel so far away**

**The distance between us**

**How did we ever get this way**

**Oh baby don't slip away**

  
  
  
  


As the chorus faded, Kim slowly pulled away from the embrace she had

been hungering for, though her eyes remained closed.

  
  


"What are you doing here, Tommy," she questioned in a small voice. A

slight wave of dizziness from the immense heat within the crowded club

forced the once Pink Ranger to open her eyes. Immediately, her vision

was filled with a muscular chest hidden behind white fabric, broad

strong shoulders, boldly handsome face smiling warmly down at her. She

met his milk chocolate eyes for the briefest of instances. _*Oh God, he_

_even took the time to blow dry his hair straight!*_

  
  


"I wanted to see you," he admitted plainly as time seemed to halt around

them.

  
  


Kimberly's wide eyes darted up to meet his once more, an almost hopeful

glint danced within them. A faint smile began to form on her lips,

though she shook herself back to reality before it completely formed.

  
  


"I figured you'd hate me by now," she retorted, taking a step back, only

to have Tommy counter by taking a step forward.

  
  


"I could never hate you, Kim." He shook his head. "There's nothing you

could do to make me hate you!"

  
  


Even though he meant the comment to calm her, it appeared to do the

exact opposite. "Quit playing the amnesia game, Tommy. I wrote the

letter, remember?" Kim nearly shouted as she spun to walk away.

  
  


Catching her delicate hand in his, Tommy held it for a long moment to

stop her from fleeing. To his surprise, she didn't attempt to pull

away. Instead, Kim turned back in his direction with tears in her eyes.

  
  


"Could we go for a walk? Just for old time's sake?" The words tumbled

from Tommy's lips to her ears just as the DJ began another set of fast

paced songs.

  
  


She bit her lip nervously. "I guess so." Taking a deep breath, she

fought to regain control of her swirling emotions as they headed for the

door.

  
  


* * * * * * 

  
  
  
  


Four blocks had been walked in an almost eerie silence. Now, the endless

Atlantic Ocean shore sat empty before them. Both mentally noted how

ironic it was for them to end up at a body of water, since their talking

spot always had been the lake in Angel Grove park. Neither said

anything. The cool evening seemed to glimmer in the moonlight. A breeze

rolled off the water as the tide accompanied it.

  
  


"Which way do you wanna go?" Kim asked, looking both ways down the 

beach once they reached the rising shoreline.

  
  


"How about towards the lighthouse," Tommy suggested. The nervous 

woman shrugged before falling into step beside him, folding her arms across

her chest. It was apparent that she was almost waiting for something. Once 

again, Tommy took the lead.

  
  


"So how are things with Coach Schmidt?" he asked, in an attempt to

dispel the cumbersome silence that had once again formed.

  
  


"Really good. He feels I'm doing some of my best gymnastics. As of

yesterday, the team has been given the next week and a half off to rest

up for the competition next month."

  
  


"That's great. With all the hard work you're doing, I bet you can use

the rest by now."

  
  


"You never did tell me what you're actually doing in Florida," Kim

ventured bravely, expecting the worst.

  
  
  
  


"I'm racing in the Miami Classic tomorrow."

  
  


"You're racing cars?" 

  
  


"Yeah, for my Uncle Jon's team. There's only one more race after this,"

Tommy supplied.

  
  


"Why racing? I figured you'd be busy teaching karate with Jason."

Glancing up at her companion, Kim watched as a momentary look of

discomfort crossed his face.

  
  


"Actually, I haven't been doing much karate since Christmas. I don't

want to pull money out of my trust fund for winter semester at A.G.U.,

so I took Uncle Jon up on his offer."

  
  


Irked by his aloof attitude toward his one-time passion, she demanded,

"How could you give up something you loved doing so easily?"

Conveniently, she ignored the little voice in her head that added, __

_*How could ***you*** give up ***someone*** you loved so easily?*_

  
  


"It just didn't seem to mean very much anymore. Not a lot has since 

you left."

  
  


Simultaneously, they stopped. Kim stared wordlessly at him for a 

moment before shifting her eyes away shamefully. Her cheeks flushed 

with humiliation and self-anger as her eyes brimmed with another batch 

of unshed tears. Quickly turning away from him, she began to backtrack.

  
  


"We better go back; I think there's a storm coming in," she called to

him, in the vain hope that he would drop the inevitable subject. A cold

wind was now evident as the clouds began to slowly roll in off the

ocean.

  
  


The disturbing conversation with his best friend a few hours ago was now

starting to make sense to Tommy.

  
  


With every step, Kim felt the screams of frustration at the back of her

mind growing louder.

  
  


_*Why are you running away? This is what you've wanted for months, a_

_chance to explain things -- to get him back!*_ Kim heard her mind silently 

ask her heart. __

  
  


_*I don't want to give him a chance to hurt me like I did him.*_

The uniform answer came too quickly.

  
  


_*But when has Tommy ever hurt you?*_ Her brain insisted.

  
  


_*It's better not to even risk getting hurt. Besides, He deserves better _

_than a messed up anorexic like me. Everything I touch goes bad.*_

  
  


Tommy's voice calling her name caused her feet to involuntarily stop.

"Kim, we _*need*_ to talk."

  
  


She kept her eyes downcast, as she heard his faint footsteps in the sand

behind her. She had run out of diversions and she knew it. The

chestnut-haired girl turned to face him.

  
  


Taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves, she raised her

head a bit, though her gaze remained on something just past his

shoulder. "Yeah, I guess we do. Tommy, I...." She stopped as the words

hit a brick wall in her throat.

  
  


"What is it?" He searched her normally warm eyes for an answer, with no

luck.

  
  


Her eyes skimmed the now cloudy sky, as if desperately searching for the

answer somewhere among the cosmos. "Everything. Nothing's been right

since I mailed you that letter," she declared quickly, clenching her jaw

to kill the sob in her throat.

  
  


"How do you mean? You're about to win a medal at the Pan Globals,

probably go on to the Olympics. You have a new guy, new friends. I

thought everything was going great for you."

  
  


Putting her hand up to halt his words, the mentally worn out girl felt

another tear escape down her cheek, and her voice quivered as she spoke.

"Tommy, I lied. There was never anyone else."

  
  


He stared at her in astonishment, his jaw all but dropping to the wet

sand. He hadn't even realized he had spoken until he heard his voice

ask, "But why?"

  
  


"I couldn't stand being so far away from you," she began, fumbling over

the words as they came out. "At first, I knew I only had to make it

through two months, just until Christmas and then I'd get to see you

again. But when I went back to Angel Grove, things seemed different

between us. I thought that us being together and my being here in

Florida was hurting you more than if we had just ended it. And since I

got back, I heard from you what - twice? I figured that you were

probably seeing someone else. So I thought it would be best if you

thought that I had found someone else, too, and just backed out

completely." Her gaze floated from him to the incoming ocean waves.

  
  


"I'm sorry Kimberly. I just thought that you'd want to spend as much

time with Trini as you could while she, Jason, and Zack were on break

from the conferences during the holidays ... that's why I took a step

back. I knew there would still be time for us, too. As far as the rest

of it, I didn't think -- with your competition coming up, all your

practicing, Divatox keeping us so busy plus my racing." Tommy cursed to

himself as he began to realize what a mess had been made on his part. "I

know I don't have any right to ask this, but do you think there's any

way we could try to make up for some of the lost time when you come back

to California?"

  
  


"I'm not going back to Angel Grove -- I'm going to France after the

Games," came her hesitant reply.

  
  


"For how long??"

  
  


"I don't know -- maybe permanently."

  
  


"And never come back to Angel Grove? You can't be serious!"

  
  


"I am...." Kim was still unable to look Tommy in the eye.

  
  


"I thought you said you had hated France when you were there with your

mom," he stammered, recalling Kim's vacation with her mother two years

prior. It was the same vacation where her mom had met a painter named

John-Paul and fell in love.

  
  


"I did. But why should I go back to Angel Grove? There's nothing left

for me there anymore. I finished school here; I don't have you. I have

no family there; I haven't seen or heard from my father or brother in

years, and Kat has my powers -- or whomever she gave them to. I've made

a huge mess of things, and now I have exactly what I deserve --

nothing!" Unable to face him, she turned back toward the water.

  
  


As he watched the small-framed girl unload the heavy burden from her

heart, he felt his breaking all over again. Tommy silently pleaded,

_*Won't you let me help? Why are you running from me again, Kim?*_

  
  


He regarded Kim with uncertainty. Though she seemed fixated by the

faint moonlight that danced on the ocean waves, he didn't want to risk

her fleeing again. With a silent prayer that he had made the right

decision, Tommy took a cautious step toward her. When he received no

negative reaction, he slowly raised his hand to her face. Gently, he

wiped a few tears away with his fingertips before cupping her cheek in

his palm. He felt her shudder at his warm touch. Even though she

turned her face toward him once again, she couldn't

meet his gaze. It became clear that she was fighting to remain in

control of the majority of the tears welling up behind her brown eyes.

  
  


"You haven't lost me completely, Harte," he reassured her quietly.

  
  


Kimberly allowed herself to be drawn into his embrace. As his arms slid

snugly around her, she wished it didn't feel as good as it did.

  
  


_*God, I've missed being in your arms, Tommy.... This is the only place_

_I've wanted to be for the last year -- the only place that really feels_

_safe to me, but it's not my place anymore. It's Kat's or someone else's_

_-- someone who won't be afraid of letting go, someone who's not afraid_

_of their past catching up with them. My mother controls me like I'm a_

_marionette with chains for strings! Look at me; I'm a pathetic_

_valley-girl with a life to match. You're too good for me, Why do_

_you have to make me feel like this? Remind me of how good I felt and_

_how comfortable I was with you? And why do you have to smell so good?*_

  
  


With Tommy resting his cheek against Kim's hair, the two began

ever-so-slowly swaying to some imaginary rhythm. Tommy could feel Kim

almost allowing herself to relax, but then she stiffened up again.

  
  


_*I'm not gonna hurt you, Beautiful, but at least now I have a small clue_

_why you hurt me like you did.... I just wish that you would've talked_

_to me about it*_

  
  


He inhaled the fragrant scent of her shampoo mixed with the smoke from

the club. Forgetting himself for a brief moment, he lifted his cheek

from its rest and turned his head as if to kiss the top of hers - when

something wet hit him directly in the eye: a big raindrop. Suddenly, a

downpour engulfed them....

  
  
  
  


To Be Continued....


	5. Chapter 05: Disproved Theories

**Additional Credits:** My undying thanks to Cheryl Roberts & Dawn 

for their help with this entire story. Also, I must thank my Fiancee, 

for putting up with all my computer time.

  
  
  
  


**Tortured Souls**

Chapter 5: Disproved Theories 

By Mary "Signkat"& Collaborators

  
  
  
  


As much as Kim tried to compose her wildly racing thoughts, it seemed

impossible. With every breath, the butterflies trapped in her stomach 

seemed to do another back-flip. Her fingers worked diligently to untangle 

another snarl, as the warm blowing air began to alleviate her drenched hair. 

Even though she barely heard the knock from the opposite side of the door 

over the drone of the hair dryer, still it startled her.

  
  


"Yeah?" Kim called, silencing the blow dryer as she reached for the

doorknob.

  
  


"I know these will be a little big on you, but I don't have anything

smaller," Tommy replied, as he handed her a pair of sweat pants, a 

T-shirt and sweat socks.

  
  


Setting the remaining pieces on the counter, she held the sweat pants 

up to her waist, allowing the excess length to puddle at her feet. "I think 

a little big is an understatement here," she smiled.

  
  


As he ran his fingers through his own towel-dried locks, Tommy 

couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "I guess it is. I might be able to 

scrounge up a couple of safety pins if you want."

  
  


For an awkward moment, Kim just stood there fumbling with the 

drawstrings while slightly biting her bottom lip. Her face clouded with 

uneasiness. Finding her voice again, the still-wet girl muttered softly, 

"Um, actually, if I just roll them up they should be fine. Thanks, Tommy."

  
  


"Anytime," came his instant reply, along with a nervous smile. As he turned 

back toward the main room, he heard the bathroom door latch softly, 

and a moment later, the hum of the blow dryer resumed. Once he had made 

his way over to the bed, Tommy whipped the damp towel from around his 

neck and deposited it on the floor before allowing himself to plop on down 

on the striped bedspread.

  
  


His eyes strayed to the windows near the door. Flashes of lightening

filtered through the small openings in the curtains, as the thunder 

continued to rumble above.

  
  


_*I guess it's a good thing I picked up in here when I came back to change _

_for the club,*_ he thought, releasing a sigh before allowing himself to fall 

back on the bed. Small fragments of the talk with Jason earlier found 

their way back into his thoughts, as Tommy watched the shadows on

the ceiling.

_*Was I really that blind or did she hide it so well I couldn't see what she _

_was going through?*_ he wondered. Jason had hit the nail on the head 

when he mentioned Kim being skittish. In the beginning, even though 

she seemed genuinely happy to see him when their paths crossed, it was

only when their other friends were with them that she seemed to be at ease.

  
  


Looking back, Tommy also realized it was not until they had been dating

for a few months, that Kim had let him pick her up at her house. Before 

then, she had always insisted that they meet at the Youth Center, the park 

or his house. From the first moment that he was introduced to Mrs. Harte, 

she had given him the distinct impression that he would never be good 

enough for her daughter. _*'Besides,'*_ Mrs. Harte had vehemently reminded 

him one time. _*'Kimberly's much too busy with her gymnastics to have any _

_time for boys --or anything else for that matter!'*_

  
  


The slight creak of the bathroom door pulled Tommy from his reverie.

He shook himself back to reality as he sat back up. _*Oh gosh, I forgot how _

_good she looks in my clothes,*_ he gulped inwardly as he found himself

staring at the wondrous sight which stood before him.

"Pretty pathetic looking, huh?" Her eyes held a faint glimmer of humor.

  
  


"You look beautiful as always!" Tommy gave himself a mental slap for

actually voicing that thought, and He noticed Kim blushed deeply, as her 

eyes darted toward the floor. "If you don't mind, I'm going to go dry off." 

he informed her, trying to steer away from his outspoken thought.

  
  


Kim carefully made herself comfortable in the armchair near the window.

"Oh, no, please go right ahead. Um, do you think I could borrow a hairbrush?"

  
  


"Sure," he reached into his backpack and grabbed it. A small, hopeful

smile possessed his lips as he walked over to hand her the brush. His

fingers lingered on the handle longer than necessary, until she slowly

drew it from his grasp. "Well, I'm gonna go dry my hair and stuff," he

announced for no apparent reason, before picking up another pile of dry 

clothes and pushing himself into the bathroom.

  
  


As Kim worked the remaining tangles from her caramel locks, the 

overwhelming emotions of the evening flowed through her mind once 

again. Tommy's sudden appearance, the dance they had shared and the 

fact that he was actually talking to her instead of being furious, took her 

by complete surprise. It started to pour while they were on the beach, 

so they had to run back to the club for cover. Both had gotten completely 

drenched upon reaching it.

  
  


It was a few minutes before they discovered that Jason and Trini had 

gone back to their hotel. Upon returning to Tommy's truck, her one-time 

boyfriend had offered to drive her back to the gymnastics compound, but 

Kim had refused, claiming that she didn't want to be there by herself during 

the storm.

  
  


_*Since when have I been afraid of a stupid thunderstorm?*_ she silently 

chastised herself, not wanting to admit that it was the idea of being alone 

that still scared her to death. To her surprise, Tommy then offered to 

take her back to his motel. For a reason still unknown to herself, she 

agreed to it. Rising slowly from the comfort of the chair, the gymnast 

gently placed the brush on the table, before her feet carried her toward 

the center of the room. 

  
  


___*Great --what have I set myself up for now?*_ Kim asked herself as she 

bent to pick up Tommy's discarded towel from the floor. Hesitantly, she 

nestled her nose in the damp terry cloth, inhaling his faint scent deeply. 

_*Is this his way of rubbing it in that I hurt him, by being nice to me?*_

Regarding the gray towel with a regretful expression. _*If it is, it's working.*_

  
  


Setting the cloth down on the bed, she continued her brief tour of the 

room. Kimberly was about to sit down on the bed, when she noticed 

the old green and white backpack sitting on the low dresser beside the 

television a few feet away. She found herself drawn to it, then almost 

instinctively, she reached for it.

  
  


___*I wonder if he still carries...*_ Suddenly, her conscious mind took 

over once more, forcing her hand to stop a few inches short of touching 

the canvas-like material.

  
  


_*No. Kim, he's not your boyfriend anymore; stay out of his stuff!*_

she scolded herself. But a need overwhelmed her, and she was unable 

to help herself. Reaching out once more, her fingertips lightly brushed 

one of the straps. She couldn't help but recall the shopping trip just 

after Tommy had received the White Ranger Powers and how they 

agreed that the color combination was so fitting.

  
  


A loud noise from behind startled Kim from her thoughts. The girl spun 

around, her eyes settled on the telephone as it rang again. For a moment, 

she debated whether to answer it, then walked over to the night stand. 

With one swift movement, she picked up the receiver.

  
  


"Hello?" Her voice came out in a slight whisper.

  
  


"Is this Tommy Oliver's room?" an all too-familiar accented voiced

asked, sending Kim's stomach nervously churning as her knees turn 

to Jell-O, forcing her to sit down on the bed.

  
  


"Yes, but he's in the shower right now," she finally answered, hoping the sudden quiver in her voice wasn't too apparent.

  
  


"Who is this?" Kat asked; Kim could picture her wondering who the girl

was in Tommy's room. 

  
  


"Kim; who's this?" she replied, already knowing the answer.

  
  


"Oh my goodness! Hey Kim! I thought it sounded like you; it's me, Kat.

How's everything going?" Her voice was so friendly and chipper, that 

Kim's teeth began to ache. 

  
  


Forcing as much happiness into her voice as she could muster, the petite

girl launched into what she thought was a dreaded conversation. 

"The Pan Global's have been going really well; Coach is making us 

rest up a little before the games start. Jason and Trini are down here 

visiting. Little did I know that Tommy was here for a race --so Jason 

surprised me and brought him along to the dance club that we all met 

up at tonight."

  
  


"Oh, that's nice -- the four of you get a chance to reminisce about the

old days," Kat responded, her voice sounding almost sincere.

  
  


"Yeah, something like that. So how have you been doing?" Kim asked 

in return, not wanting to sound rude to her one-time good friend. 

  
  


"Well, I could just talk your ear off all night about ballet school,

guys and me, but I better start warming up for my first class. I'll be here 

still for the next hour, will you tell Tommy I called and ask him to give 

me a ring back when he's finished? I really need his opinion on something!" 

Her Australian-accented voice sounded ever-so-sweet.

  
  


"Uh, sure. No problem."

  
  


"Thanks, Kim; you're the best. Good luck; I'll be cheerin' for ya!"

  
  


_*Yeah sure, you'll be cheering for me to break my neck!*_ Frowning, 

Kim couldn't believe she had thought that; thank goodness she hadn't 

said it out loud. "Take care, Kat."

  
  


"You, too; shout at ya later!"

  
  


"Bye!" Kim mimicked Kat's too-happy tone.

  
  


After nearly dropping the receiver into it's cradle, Kim remained seated

on the bed. Her stomach remained knotted tightly as she twirled a piece 

of hair around her finger. _*Remember, you're the one that gave him up!* _

an inner voice reminded her for the millionth time. 

  
  


A few moments later, Tommy emerged from the bathroom.

  
  


"Hey, who was on the phone? I thought I heard it ring." 

  
  


"Oh, it was Kat," she informed him, trying to keep the jealousy and

confusion from her tone.

  
  


"Oliver curse!" he groaned, smacking his forehead. "I was supposed to

call her earlier; I knew I forgot something! She's probably ticked at me 

by now! Did she say what she needed?" 

  
  


Kim shook her head. "No, just that she wanted your opinion on

something."

  
  


Unable to keep her emotions under control any longer, She got up 

and headed over towards the door, picking up one of her wet shoes 

and furiously tried to push her foot into it without undoing the laces.

  
  


"Kim, what are you doing?" frowned Tommy.

  
  


"I should go so you can call her back...." Kim forced out through clenched 

teeth, unable to even look in his direction.

  
  


"Wait, what are you talking about? You don't have to leave --I can call

her later; it's no big deal! Besides, it's still pouring out there!" he insisted, 

watching her intently.

  
  


As she grabbed her other shoe to put it on, Kim hesitated for a moment.

"We wouldn't want her to be upset with you...." This time the jealousy 

oozed out.

  
  


"I don't get it, Kim. Why do you have to leave so I can call Kat? Am I

missing something?" he finally asked directly, still baffled at her sudden 

need to leave. He took a step toward the gymnast.

  
  


Hurt with herself for being upset and jealous of her friend, Kim angrily

snapped, "Give it up, Tommy; wouldn't it be kind of awkward to be talking 

to your new girlfriend on the phone with your ex-girlfriend in your motel room?"

  
  


Finally putting two and two together, Tommy slowly shook his head in

disbelief. Closing the distance between them, Tommy took the remaining 

shoe out of her hand. She immediately grabbed for it, but it was impossible 

for her to snag it as he raised it over his head.

  
  


"What? Give me my shoe back!" she demanded, obviously thrown off by his 

sudden move.

  
  


"No, because I want you to actually hear me out, Kim. You broke up with 

me, remember? I don't know where all this anger you suddenly have is 

coming from, but Kat and I are not dating." The words abruptly sprang from 

of his mouth, hitting her directly in the face.

  
  


Kim's eyes went wide. "You're not? But I...." she fumbled, unable to

even finish her sentence.

  
  


"After I got your letter, we went out two or three times, but it just

felt really weird." He took a calming breath, his voice returning to it's 

normal calm tone. "I couldn't help but feel guilty. Even though you broke 

up with me, I still felt like I was cheating on you."

  
  


As his words chipped through the image she had built up in her mind,

Kim could only cast her eyes to the floor to keep herself from crying. 

Embarrassed for her outburst, as well as how happy hearing his words 

of truth made her feel.

  
  


"Anyway, Kat figured out something was wrong and sat me down for a 

good talk," he continued. "I told her that I couldn't keep pretending that 

I was over you. Kat thought it would be best for her and I to just remain 

good friends. And that's all we are; friends. In fact, she's been seeing quite 

a lot of an old boyfriend recently. From what she told me, they dated a 

little when she lived in Australia. Just by chance he's going to the same 

college she is in England." Tommy lowered his arm, flipping Kim's small 

shoe back in towards the vent it had been drying in front of.

  
  


The mixture of embarrassment, guilt, and hope whirled in her mind, as Kim 

felt the heat stealing into her face. "Oh God, I feel so stupid! I just assumed... 

I forgot that she was even in England... I think Kat said something about 

getting ready for class, but I guess it went in one ear and out the other!"

  
  


Stealing a glance at her foot, Tommy couldn't help but chuckle to

himself. "Now, could I offer you another dry but extremely oversized sock?"

  
  


Looking down herself, Kim realized what she'd done. "Pretty stupid

thing to do, huh?" she laughed a little less nervously.

  
  


Becoming completely serious again, he caught her gaze for a moment.

"Well, at least it kept you from running away from me again."

  
  


"I'm not running from anything, Tommy," she insisted.

  
  


Something in her voice made him not believe her, but he decided to let

it go for the time being. "I never had a chance to apologize earlier," he began, 

retrieving another clean sock, as Kim sat down on the bed to unlace her shoe.

  
  


"Apologize for what?" she wondered, dropping the wet shoe onto the 

floor and pulling off the equally soggy sock.

  
  


"I'm sorry for not calling you when I got your letter. I was just so

floored... I didn't have a clue how to react. I played turtle instead 

of doing what I should have done; called you so we could

have talked about it." 

  
  


Kim shook her head. "No, I should be the one to apologize. I guess my 

imagination kinda got the better of me. You know how they say history 

has a tendency to repeat itself... well I guess I just assumed...."

  
  


Squatting down in front of her, Tommy placed one hand on each side of

her on the bed. "Kim, this morning when Jase and I were talking, he told 

me about the conditions of your parents' divorce and the hell you went 

through. It must have been hard, but I hope you know by now that

I just want you to be happy. I would never do anything that would hurt

you, especially like that."

  
  


"Exactly... how much did Jason tell you?" Kim asked defensively

  
  


"Everything, I think...."

  
  


"He promised me he would never breathe a word about it -- I'm gonna kill

him!" she fumed, slipping the dry sock on.

  
  


"Jase didn't do it to hurt or spite you, Kim; He opened my eyes up a lot

wider, like they should have been from the beginning. I always thought 

you had the perfect life --you're beautiful, popular, you can excel at just 

about everything you put your mind to... you could have any guy in the 

world --yet, for some reason, you picked me! What Jason did was made 

me realize that you are still human. That you make mistakes; you feel hurt, 

depressed and like the world's given up on you sometimes... just like I have 

at times. I'm sorry I didn't realize that you were probably hurting, too, after 

that letter. I wish I could go back in time and change things." As he gently 

took her trembling hands in his, Tommy continued, "But I know one thing 

I wouldn't change for the world; getting up my nerve to ask you to that dance." 

  
  


Kim tried to smile, but it was suddenly was replaced by a yawn. "Sorry."

  
  


"That's okay, there is a lot we need to talk about, but we should

probably get some shuteye. I've got to be up in five hours." Tommy

straightened up and took a few steps away.

  
  


Kim glanced over her shoulder to see the green numbers glowing 2:58 a.m.

As Tommy pulled down the bedspread and blanket, Kim picked up her 

remaining wet shoe and placed it with its mate.

  
  


"Uh... yeah, there's just one other problem.... There's only one bed."

  
  


"Well, at least it's a queen size. But I don't think either of us should

have to sleep on the floor," he commented, grabbing an extra pillow 

from the top shelf of the closet.

  
  


"What... do you suggest then?" she ventured, already knowing the answer.

  
  


"The only idea I have is to share the bed. I promise I won't bite, if

you promise not to pinch me," Tommy added teasingly, as he threw 

the pillow across the bed at her.

  
  


"Hey, I don't pinch!" she protested, catching the missile and immediately 

heaving it back towards Tommy. He quickly ducked as it went sailing 

over his head and hit the wall behind him.

  
  


"Oh, I forgot, you just put your ice-cold feet on my legs and freeze

me!" the tall boy recalled from the few occasions Kim had 'stayed over' 

while his parents were away visiting family or friends.

  
  


"I was just trying to warm them up, you human electric blanket! Sleeping

next to you would be okay...." Kim finally admitted, once again her cheeks 

blushing slightly.

  
  


* * * * * * *

  
  
  
  


Early the next morning, rays of warm sunshine leaked through the small

slits in the curtains, falling across Tommy's face. Feeling something warm 

and soft in his arms, he recalled being woken only hours before by Kimberly 

crying in her sleep. He had quickly gathered her into his arms to calm her, 

reassuring her that it was just a bad dream. Although she never really woke up, 

Kim had snuggled up to him immediately. Now, he couldn't help but regret the 

morning's arrival. Tommy's mind filled with thoughts as he cradled the still-sleeping 

female for a few more cherished moments.

  
  


_*I'm so happy just to be with you again, Kim. I know there has to still be a _

_chance for us. I've missed you so much --missed being close to you. I wish I _

_could hold you like this forever.*_ He extracted himself from under the slumbering 

beauty ever so carefully, not wanting to wake her just yet. Even though an extra 

half hour of sleep may not be a lot, he figured she could probably use it.

  
  


Tucking the warm covers in around her gently, Tommy headed into the

bathroom to take a shower.

  
  


A loud sound drew Kim from her peaceful sleep; a knock at the outside

door, then a man's voice yelling something to someone, followed by

faint footsteps moving away. Opening her eyes as she sat up, a white

clad figure appeared in the bathroom doorway.

  
  


"Hey, sleepyhead, twenty-five minutes before we have to leave for the

track!" Tommy sang out, as he finished combing his long locks.

  
  


After taking a moment to recall the events of the previous night, Kim

asked hesitantly, "Are you sure you don't mind me going to watch?"

  
  


"I would really like it if you were there." His eyes pleaded with hers.

"Hey, Trini and Jason will be there, too." He reminded her, hoping that 

the presence of their friends would help to put her mind at ease.

  
  


"Okay... at least my clothes should be dry." She slid out from under the

covers, noticing that Tommy had already set her shorts, socks and under 

things on the foot of the bed.

  
  


"Uh... most of them are, but I accidentally knocked your shirt off the rod

as I was turning on the shower; it's a little wet again. You can borrow 

whatever you want though." Tommy motioned to the closet before turning 

to head back into the bathroom with his blow dryer in hand.

  
  


Kim walked over to the closet with slight hesitation. Her eyes skimmed

along the various shirts and pairs of jeans until she came to a white short 

sleeve T-shirt with some logo on the back. Picking up the hanger, a flash 

of green caught her attention. Her eyes settled on the sleeve of a very familiar 

white and green flannel shirt. After debating the idea, Kim slowly reached for 

it as well.

  
  


A few minutes later, dressed in the her jean shorts, Tommy's T-shirt and the flannel 

tied around her waist, Kim was french braiding her hair when Tommy once again 

appeared.

  
  


"Are you about ready?" he asked, pulling his own locks into a ponytail.

  
  


"I think so; I just hope my shoes have dried." Twisting the red-flowered

scrunchie around the end of her braid, Kim turned to find Tommy looking 

at her with a taken aback look on his face.

  
  


"Oh, I'm sorry; I hope you don't mind my borrowing it." Her hand fall to

her side, and her fingertips brushed the soft green and white material. 

She hoped he wouldn't suddenly object.

  
  


"No, not at all. It always was your favorite! I had just forgotten that

I still had it," he said quickly. 

  
  


"Yeah, we threw it in to wash at your house after the last group picnic,

when Rocky spilled pop all over it," she reminded him, once again 

wishing for the good 'ol days.

  
  


"I guess I forgot to get it back to you before you left." He recalled

how Rocky had mercilessly teased Kim at the picnic about how she was 

going to wear it out.

  
  


"Still smells like you though." The words left Kim's lips before she could 

stop them, however she didn't regret it.

  
  


"I guess we should probably get going... catch up with the pit crew at

the raceway."

  
  


"Yeah I guess we should."

  
  
  
  
  
  


To be continued....


	6. Chapter 06: Perfect

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the characters in this story with the exception of 

Ms. Morgan Harte. Saban owns the Power Rangers. ****

**Authors Note:** I definitely need to thank some people for all their help with this 

chapter... Eurydice, Shelly, Dawn, Cheryl, and anyone else who has helped me 

to get through this never-ending chapter. 

**Dedication:**_ I would sadly like to dedicate this chapter to my wonderful _

_Grandmother (3/19/19 to 6/18/00) and to one of my best friends Jenny _

_(who fought for her life and lost, on 7/5/00). Both will be missed very much.*_

  
  


**Tortured Souls**

Chapter Six: Perfect

By: Mary "Signkat" and Collaborators

  
  
  
  


Jason and Trini anxiously stood with John next to the team trailer as a

white 4x4 pulled up near them. They all smiled as the familiar faces of

their friends came into view. 

  
  


"Well, there you guys are. We were beginning to wonder where you snuck off

to!" Jason teased as the pair made their way over to join the trio. 

  
  


"We were going to ask you two the same thing! You didn't waste any time

leaving the club last night, did you? If I didn't know better, I'd almost

think we were set up!" rebounded Tommy with a quirky grin. 

  
  


"Tommy," his uncle broke in, "there are a few things I need to go over

with you before we head down for the warm-up laps." John motioned for his

nephew to follow. 

  
  
  
  


"Right - I have to go change anyway. I'll be back in a few minutes guys!" 

  
  


Kim watched until he disappeared around the trailer, before turning to

face her best friends. Offering them an apologetic smile, she said, "Sorry

for ditching you guys like that last night, but Tommy and I needed to talk." 

  
  


The once-Yellow Ranger hadn't missed the happiness in her voice, or the

T-shirt which she wore. "Ah, I thought I remembered that flannel shirt

from somewhere, and since when do you wear racing shirts?" she teased, as

she gave one of the oversized sleeves a playful tug. "Were you able to

work things out?" 

  
  


"We still have a lot to talk about, but things are definitely better. You 

were right - - Tommy and Kat are just friends." 

  
  


"So, does that mean you forgive us for setting you up last night?" Jason

asked, with a victorious smile. The plan had worked! 

  
  


"Yeah, I'll forgive you for that," Kim hesitated, planting her hands on

her hips, as her eyes shifted from Trini to Jason. "Although, I'm not sure

if I can forgive you as easily for breaking a really big promise." 

  
  


"I'm sorry Kim; I should have asked you before I said anything to him, 

but I didn't feel that I had much of a choice. Because of what happened

with your parents, and the things your mom said, You have to admit that 

for the most part, you still keep guys as far away as possible. From where 

I'm standing, that's exactly what you've been going with Tommy since 

before we left Angel Grove - - pushing him away." Jason paused, to let his

words sink in. The guilty expression on Kim's face told him he was definitely 

on the right track. 

  
  


"There are times when you still try to push me away. But when you do, 

I at least know why. I know how to deal with those moments because 

I was there when everything was happening. Trini and I both know what 

your life was like then, first hand. Tommy didn't. Up until yesterday, he 

was convinced that **_he_** had done something to scare you or make you push 

away like that. It's become pretty obvious over the past four years that 

you weren't going to tell him, so I decided to put him out of his misery. 

I am really sorry if you're upset with me, Kim; But if it's between the truth 

being out in the open and my two best friends having another chance together, 

or having Tommy miserable while you continue to hide in your shell and never 

dealing with the past, I'd rather you be mad at me." 

  
  


The normally chatterbox gymnast stood there quietly. Kim felt her anger

over the broken promise quickly turn into guilt. There was no use trying

to deny what her honorary brother had said was true, for she felt as

though he had read it from her own mind. 

  
  


"Jase told me about the conversation he and Tommy had. I'm not taking

sides, Kim, but I have to agree with him on this one. We all know your

parents' divorce was hell for you, and it was a major contributor to your 

illness. But that's also why Tommy needs to hear what you went through 

from You. We know what happened because we were there. He wasn't. 

I know you never felt comfortable with the idea of seeing a counselor Kim,

But I really think you need to finally discuss what you went through with 

someone. Stop running away from the past and face it head-on. Only then 

will you be able to truly get on with your life." Trini advised her friend. 

  
  


"What if he doesn't like what he hears? What's to stop him from just turning

around and walking out of my life for good?" 

  
  


Trini reached out and took Kim's hand, offering her teary-eyed friend a warm 

reassuring smile. "Come on Kim, Give him the benefit of the doubt for once. 

Let him have a chance to help you through this. Tommy loves you too much 

to run away." The yellow-clad female added, as she pulled her best friend into

a hug. 

  
  


"Since when did you become a psychologist?" Kim teased, trying to lighten 

the situation a bit. The two girls exchanged a few more words as Kim quickly 

brushed away the few tears which had slipped down her cheek.

  
  


Jason looked up from the conversation as Tommy, with a finger over his lips, 

approached from behind Kim. Moments later, a clunky pair of ear protectors 

made themselves at home over Kim's ears, startling the poor girl to death.

  
  


Acting as though he had nothing to do with it, the former White Ranger

handed the other two sets of headphones along with two plastic-covered

badges on cords to Trini and Jason. The pair tried to stifle their

laughter at the once-Pink Ranger's bewildered expression. 

  
  


"I was able to get some extra pit passes so you guys can watch the race

from there!" exclaimed Tommy, as he also tried to control his amusement. 

  
  


Kim, not having heard a thing any of them had said, quickly removed the

bulky headset from her ears. "What's the big idea here? What did you

say?" quipped the petite girl as she turned to face her newly re-found

friend. 

  
  


As she came to face him, he slipped the last pit pass over her head and

gently let go of it so it rested on her chest. "Sorry, Kim," came his

smiling reply. "I was saying that I was able to get permission for you

guys to see the race from the pit area, but you have to wear these."

Tommy fingered the earphones briefly unable to hide his smile as he

continued, "To protect your hearing from all the noise. And I'm sorry to

report, but we're currently all out of pink, so I guess red will have to

do," he finished, chuckling slightly before tossing out one final comment.

"Personally, though, I think they co-ordinate wonderfully with your

scrunchie!" 

  
  
  
  


With a lopsided grin that clearly read 'Oh sure, Tommy', Kim playfully

punched him in the arm. 

  
  


"This'll be so cool man, thanks!" Jason beamed, having obviously missed

the last few comments due to his excitement about seeing Tommy's race

close-up.

  
  


Motioning for them to follow, Tommy headed over towards the raceway with

his friends in tow. 

  
  
  
  


* One hundred laps later.....*

  
  


It had been a grueling race, but after placing 8th out of the thirty-five

cars there, Tommy finally pulled into his designated area just bursting

with excitement. Climbing out of his car, he headed for the group. Kim

bounced up to him as he approached, wrapping her arms around his neck 

with a congratulatory hug. Without thinking, Tommy immediately wrapped 

his strong arms around the gymnast's waist, picked her up effortlessly and

spun her around. A tiny shriek escaped Kim's mouth. Finally coming to a

stop, Tommy eased her back onto her own two feet, but both were slow to

relinquish their hold on each other. 

  
  


Watching from the sidelines, Trini and Jason gave each other a knowing

look, for they both knew how much these two still cared about each other.

Getting to their feet, the couple made their way over to congratulate

Tommy on his wonderful accomplishment. After hugs and cheers, the four

decided a victory dinner was in order. 

  
  


* * * * * *

  
  
  
  


It had been a great meal, and the conversation and company had been

wonderful. Tommy had decided to invite his crew along and was happy when

the others were all for it. But now the evening was winding down and

everyone was beginning to go their own ways. Trini had found an excuse as

to why she and Jason had to call it a night, which conveniently left Tommy

and Kim to entertain themselves. 

  
  


"So..." Kim began hesitantly, "what do you want to do now?" 

  
  


"I don't know; you're the one that lives here," smiled Tommy as he watched

the girl across from him. 

  
  


"Well, I would say sight seeing, but it's kinda late," Kim frowned slightly. 

  
  


"Yeah," agreed Tommy, unable to stop smiling. _*God she's beautiful*_

  
  


After concentrating for a little bit, Kim suddenly perked up. "Would you

maybe want to see the Gymnastics Compound?" she suggested, as the

butterflies trapped in her stomach began to multiply. 

  
  


Blinking suddenly, Tommy was torn from his pervious thought. "Compound?" 

  
  


"Yeah, were I eat, sleep and breathe gymnastics," grinned the brunette as

she watched Tommy try to come back to the present. 

  
  


"Almost sounds like a concentration camp or something!" he replied, hoping

she hadn't caught his dopey look a few seconds ago. 

  
  


"No, it's not as bad as that. I guess a better name for it would be a

campus. You want the nickel tour?" she smiled brightly, as she fingered a

stray straw wrapper. 

  
  


"Sure," he declared, rising from his seat and offering her a hand up. Side

by side, the two friends made their way out of the restaurant and into the

warm Florida night air. 

  
  


* * * * *

  
  


After making their way through the deserted buildings that made up the US

Pan Global Training Center, Kim had invited him back to her dorm room.

Her invitation surprised him slightly, though he was not about to refuse

it. _*She wants to talk, that's a step in the right direction,*_ Tommy

pointed out silently. As much as he wanted for her to believe that he

would never do anything to hurt her, Tommy knew he couldn't push for that

trust too fast. He knew he needed to let Kim set the pace. The scared,

child-like shroud within her eyes which had always haunted them --even during

happy, jovial times-- still remained. Though now that he knew their

secret, that long-buried unhappiness literally screamed at him. 

  
  


The pair had sat for the past two hours at the small breakfast table in

the apartment-like dorm suite, talking about recent developments in each

of their semi-professional lives. Tommy had also explained how he learned

he had a brother. Now, looking at his watch, he realized the lateness of

the hour. 

  
  


"I should probably head back before your roommate gets in," he remarked,

as he slowly rose from his seat. 

  
  


Shadowing his movement, Kim picked up the two empty mugs from the table.

With a rush, she felt as if she was once again a small girl huddled in her

bed, scared of the raging nighttime thunderstorm outside, but also scared

of the monsters which lingered under her bed waiting to get her feet the

moment they touched the floor. Her mind wouldn't let her forget how safe

it felt to be near him: the feeling of his strong arms around her again,

the scent of his skin, how good it felt when he comforted her after the

nightmare even though she hadn't let on that she was awake. Those

reminders, along with Jason and Trini's pep talk of the morning, had

pushed her to the edge of telling him. All evening, she had tried to work

up the courage to approach the subject. Tommy had definitely given her

more than enough chances, but no matter how she tried, she just couldn't

take the plunge. Now, she felt she had to do something fast --had to say

something-- but what? It was decision time, but she wasn't sure which was

worse: having Tommy leave and being all alone again, maybe for good this

time, or telling him her deepest, darkest secrets and dealing with his

unimaginable reaction? 

  
  


"Please don't go." The words raced past her lips before her mind had time

to even comprehend them. Taking a deep breath, she quickly walked into the

tiny kitchen. _*Nice going, dingy; way to _not_ sound desperate! Why don't_

_you just handcuff him to the table while you're at it!*_ Reaching for the

faucet handle, Kim did her best to shake the desperate tone from her voice

as she watched the water fill and quickly overflow the dark green mug. 

"I mean, it's barely 10:30, and, actually, Renee went home for the week

like everyone else. She won't be back until next Tuesday." With a quick

glance sideways, she wasn't surprised to see that he had followed her as

far as the archway. _*Please don't ask me if something's wrong --just_

_please don't ask that.* _

  
  


"Doesn't having a roommate get to you sometimes?" he asked casually, more

to keep her talking than for any other reason, watching as she emptied and

refilled the mugs repeatedly for no apparent reason save to keep her hands

busy. 

  
  


"I guess maybe a little, but we're really good friends. Plus, the way they

have all the rooms set up like mini-apartments helps; everyone has two -

three bedrooms, a living room, a small kitchen and dining area just like

we do. So for the little time we're not in the gym, at least we don't

always have to be in the same room." 

  
  


She finally set the mugs down with the few other dirty dishes already on

the counter. With nothing else to occupy her attention, Kim found herself

forced to turn toward him again, though she was unable to look him in the

face. She could almost feel the ugly words bouncing around in her mouth,

trying to get free. But the fear to utter them still remained. One look

into those warm, brown eyes, and she knew she'd lose her fragile grip on

control. _*I just need to concentrate on something else for a little while,_

_then everything'll be fine,*_ Kim almost convinced herself. 

  
  


With skilled dexterity, she bottled up her emotions once more and adopted

her 'Happy Face' mask. "Do you feel like watching a movie?" 

  
  


"Sounds good," he agreed, before she slipped past him and toward her room.

Tommy hadn't missed any of the unspoken battle that had been evident in

her actions and expressions. _*Why won't she just say it? What's got her_

_so afraid to admit that there were problems once? Maybe I should just_

_straight out ask her about it. But then she might feel like I was pushing_

_her... and I don't want to risk losing her again! Kim, why won't you let_

_me in?*_ Pushing away from the wall, he slowly headed for the light at the

end of the hall. 

  
  
  
  


* * * * *

  
  
  
  


Tommy appeared in the doorway just as Kim brushed the last of the braid

from her hair. She met his gaze for a moment in the mirror then watched as

he took a few steps into the small bedroom. Setting the brush on the

dresser top, she moved toward the bookshelf. 

  
  


"Renee doesn't have too many videos, but the video store's not far from

here if I don't have anything that sounds good," she supplied, before she

began reading off titles. 

  
  


He watched her from behind for a moment, before his eyes drifted around

the room and came to rest on a thick, light-colored photo album that sat at 

the foot of her bed. Tommy quietly made his way over to the floral spread-

covered bed, and sat down, picking up the book. Resting it in his lap, he 

slowly flipped backwards through the last pages, looking at the seemingly 

happy images that graced the photographs: pictures of him and their friends 

playing basketball in the park, sparring, goofing around. As he gradually 

made his way to the center of the album, he found pictures from before he 

had arrived in Angel Grove. He stared blankly at the first one his eyes fell upon. 

  
  


Even after Jason's description, he still couldn't believe that the

headless female in the photo was Kimberly. Her clothing hung limply from

her toothpick thin 5'4" frame; her skeletal features were grossly evident.

As he continued toward the front of the book, Tommy found several more

pictures that had been defaced; a few had pieces torn out, but most had

blue ballpoint scribbles, as if a someone had tried to "color over" the

image. Not surprisingly, the damage concentrated on one individual.

Tommy glanced up at the once-Pink Ranger to find her still involved in

naming off movie titles. 

  
  


His eyes returning to the sad scene before him, he picked up a large,

folded picture that had been stuck between the two first pages. A heavy

crease ran down the center from being folded for so long, but otherwise it

was undamaged. The group of friends was gathered around a table at the

Youth Center, each decked out in a brightly colored cone-shaped party hat;

multiple shades of pink streamers hung from the ceiling above. As happy as

the others seemed to be, the Kimberly staring back at him was miserable.

Her hair seemed limp and lifeless, her eyes were dark and sunken in; her

normally radiant face was pale. Even though she wore her patented "Happy

Face," the smile didn't even begin to reach the too-thin girl's eyes. 

_*If only I had known what she was going through, maybe I could've done_

_something to help her.*_ he brooded, rapidly thinking back to his first

year in Angel Grove. Distantly, he recalled Jason asking Kim constantly if

she had eaten; Ernie was always bringing Kim a sandwich or salad, even

though she never ordered it, but she ate it anyway. His thoughts then

drifted to the times when he had gone to Kim's house after school to study

or to pick her up for a date. The un-shakable feeling that he didn't quite

meet up to her mom's standards for her daughter had never wavered. Even

after the many times he thought he had proven himself worthy (karate

competitions, making good grades, showing up almost on time, being his

complete gentleman self), the tension never dissipated; although, it was

never talked about either. 

  
  


Looking back on it, Tommy now realized that something must have been

terribly wrong when Kim once again started insisting on meeting him at the

Juice Bar or his house --ever really wanting him to come over anymore.

Mrs. Harte's proclamation once again echoed in his mind: _*She's much too_

_busy with important things like gymnastics to have any time for boys or_

_anything else!* _

  
  


_*I guess Kim felt that she had to hide our relationship from her_ _mother...*_

Suddenly, he felt as if he had been caught in the act. Tommy looked up from 

the picture to find Kim watching him. It was only then did he realize he hadn't 

heard a thing she had said since he had spotted the book. The fear that had 

overtaken her features made him heartsick. He wanted so badly to comfort 

her, reassure her that he understood now. But before he could open his mouth, 

she was gone. 

  
  


"Kim," Tommy called after her. He groaned loudly to himself, as he closed

the photo album and set it back on the bed. Running his hands through his

hair, he planted his elbows on his knees before dropping his face into his

upturned palms. 

  
  


"Damn!" he muttered in frustration. _*What's it gonna take for you to trust_

_me?*_ The thought had barely left his mind when an image he hadn't seen in

forever flashed before his eyes. 

  
  


* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

  
  
  
  


Two boys stood together, both in their early teens. Each was clad in a

black leather jacket, black t-shirt, dark jeans, and steel-toed boots. The

two had been walking down the street, talking, drinking sodas and

laughing, when suddenly there was an eruption of gunfire from a passing

vehicle. Before it was all over, the taller boy would be kneeling on the

ground next to the other, who had been hit by multiple bullets. He died

before the first help even arrived on the scene. 

  
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

  
  
  
  


A shiver ran up Tommy's spine at the memory of that awful night. It had

taken him a long time to be able to forgive himself for all the hurt and

heartache he had caused his parents and family. Tommy also knew why he had

never been able to let his Ranger friends in on the secret: he was afraid

that they wouldn't have taken the chance to get to know him, and if they

had found out after accepting him, they would've looked at him differently

or changed their views of him. 

  
  


___*But if I can't trust Kim enough to tell her about my past, especially_

_when it happened before I even moved to Angel Grove, how can I expect her_

_to do the same?*_

  
  


With that thought, he knew exactly what he had to do. First, he'd give

her a few minutes to herself. He just hoped it wasn't too late. 

  
  


* * * * * *

  
  
  
  


"...Titanic, Fried Green Tomatoes, Armageddon, Hackers. Does anything

sound good, or do you want to go rent something?" Kim asked, as she turned

from the third and final shelf of her movie collection. Her body instantly

stiffened in shock as she realized why she hadn't heard a peep out of

Tommy for the past ten minutes. The man who had made her feel as if she

could do no wrong, who had made her feel as if she was Cinderella at the

Grand Ball, was now inspecting the evidence of her less-than-perfect past

--one that she had hoped to be able to try and explain herself, rather

than have him discover this way. Would he understand why she had done

those awful things to herself? Would he judge her differently? Or would

he just get up and walk away, never to speak to her again? Her mind

screamed for her to do something, but she couldn't. Her feet felt like a

pair of anvils, unwilling to take even a single step. The thunderous

pounding of her heart was all Kim could hear. Panic struck; she was

forced to stand and watch as her dream of possibly getting another chance

with Tommy crumbled before her. 

  
  


Almost in slow motion, his brilliant Chocolate eyes rose to meet hers.

Kimberly felt as if all the air in her lungs were being sucked out under

his scrutiny. The world around her began to tinge with gray and spin.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to block out what was happening, but it

refused to go away. With every last ounce of strength she had, Kim headed

toward the doorway. 

  
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

  
  
  
  


_*How could I have been so stupid to leave that scrapbook out! What right_

_did he have to look at it anyway? I'm sure he's in there right now_

_laughing at how ugly I was,*_ she fumed to herself, slamming her fists

against the counter top. This was definitely not how she had imagined

finally telling him about her anorexia or the problems in her life that

had brought it on. 

  
  


The messy divorce of her parents, the overpowering control her mother had

gradually taken of her own daughters life before, during and most

noticeably after that divorce, the pressures the woman had placed on Kim

to always win the gold medal, since nothing else would do for Morgan

Harte. Then there were the occasional remarks which quickly grew in

frequency as well as zeal. Even though Kim wore a size 3 in shorts, her

mother insisted that she was putting on weight. When she would reach for

another helping of chicken, vegetables, or applesauce at dinner; if she

would grab a piece of fruit, frozen juice bar, or fix herself a small

salad to munch on while studying, or, God forbid, her mother would catch

her actually eating a single chocolate kiss on Halloween, or enjoying a

piece of pizza with her friends, it was always the same:

  
  


_*"We don't want to develop a belly, do we Kimberly?"*_

  
  


_*"Now Kimberly, you know you're supposed to be watching your weight. _

_Do you see fat girls on the Olympic Gymnastics Team?"*_

  
  


As if the comments weren't bad enough, Mrs. Harte had also begun the

morning 'weigh in' ritual. If the numbers on the readout went up, even by

as little as one pound from what they had the read the previous morning,

she would insist that Kim do extra sit-ups, push-ups, and run an extra

half mile during her workout routine before school. Commonly, she would

accompany her daughter during the runs. Morgan referred to it as "Mother

daughter quality time." Looking back on it, Kim realized it was more

like, "Mom's time to bitch about how horrible Dad is, tell me about how

bad he is for leaving us and running off with his 'horny little

secretary.' How ALL MEN only want one thing in life and once they get

tired of you, they move on to their next target." After being continually

bombarded with her mother's negative insights on male-female relationships

for more than a year, as well as having no contact with her father, Kim

began believing them. 

  
  


If it hadn't been for Jason and Trini, Kim wasn't sure she'd have survived

any of those torturous years. They had been her lifeline, and for that,

Kimberly knew she would never do enough to pay them back for all they had

done for her. 

  
  


The thought of her disorder resurfacing had become a major source of

anxiety for her ever since her arrival in Florida. Coach Schmidt was like

many other coaches; he expected every one of his gymnasts to give more

than their best performances --even if it meant losing a few pounds in

order to achieve those extra few inches of air. Though Kim knew he always

kept a close watch and wouldn't allow the athletes to put their health at

risk, it didn't help to alleviate her resurfacing fears. _*What if I can't_

_stop after losing 3 or 4 pounds? What if I keep going? There's no one here_

_to help me!*_ That, on top of her growing assumptions as to the reason

Tommy hadn't kept in touch better, had been what prompted the hastily

written letter which contained the worst falsehoods she could ever

imagine: that she didn't have feelings for him anymore and that she had

moved on with someone else. 

  
  


She could only imagine what Tommy thought of her now, after seeing her at

her worst. How could he even stomach looking at those images when she

barely could? Those old photos were the only ones she had of what

should've been one of the best times in her life --she had been made a

Power Ranger. But in her eyes, they only seemed to represent the most

hellish. Still, she just couldn't convince herself to destroy them once

and for all. Someone had once said, 'everything that happens --good or

bad-- happens for a purpose.' 

  
  


_*So what was the purpose of Tommy finding out what a coward I am? To_

_prove that he's too good for me? To show him that he deserves better than_

_some insecure, diseased, poor, valley girl?*_

  
  


Overwrought with humiliation, Kim was about to give into the tears that

were already streaming down her cheeks, when she heard the familiar creak

of a spot in the hallway floor. With nowhere else to run, Kim pushed

herself into the corner of the cupboards. Her forehead resting against

the cabinet in front of her, she grabbed a nearby napkin to wipe her

cheeks, as she tried to pull herself together again, only half way

succeeding. As the footsteps behind her drew nearer, she closed her eyes.

The growing knot in her stomach worsened to the point she thought she

might be sick. 

  
  


* * * * * *

  
  
  
  


Her back was to him as he stopped in the kitchen doorway, but Tommy could

feel Kim's tension radiating from her. Before he could open his mouth to

speak, she beat him to it. 

  
  


"So, what do you think of me, now that my knack for fucking up has been

uncovered?" The bitterness and venom that filled her words didn't

surprise him, though it still hurt. 

  
  


"That's a little unfair, Kim; don't you think?" he replied calmly, taking

a small step toward her. "I just wish you had felt that you could've

talked to me about your anorexia before now." 

  
  


His temperate words were the last thing she had expected, neither was the

soft, soothing tone of his voice. Though she tried her best to keep the

emotional brick wall erected before her, she could feel the control

slipping away quickly. With her arms folded tightly in front of her and

her eyes squeezed shut, Kim turned her head slightly. 

  
  


"Oh, like if you knew I had just been released from the hospital when you

met me, that you still would've wanted to be seen with me!" she yelled

without meaning to. "You don't know how hard it was for me to make myself

keep eating. I lived at Trini's house for the first two weeks, since my

mom was still so emphatic that I was gonna get fat again. But the doctors

said that if I lost even 4 pounds, they'd shove the feeding tube back in

me! It wasn't until my Coach finally sat my mom down for a meeting that

she even realized that I had a serious eating disorder! At least then she

laid off a bit on her comments about my eating, but it didn't help with

anything else." 

  
  


The knot within her stomach had relaxed a bit, though it was quickly being

replaced by the growing one in her throat. As she took in a long shaky

breath, Kim finally opened her eyes, though her gaze remained fixed on the

crumpled napkin in her fist. 

  
  


"Then I met you, and I felt like you had this hold on me... like you were

giving me the strength I needed to get better. From the very first time I

met you at the karate competition against Jason, even just from the way

you looked at me --you made me feel special. For the first time in years,

I felt like I could be "Me" and not the Kim that everyone else expected me

to be! When you moved to Angel Grove a few weeks later, I was so scared

you'd find out what I had been through. I'm sure people at school knew,

between all the school I missed and what I looked like; they had to! I

thought that if you found out about my problems, you would surely think

that I was "damaged goods" and turn your back on me." 

  
  


As the last of the wall came crumbling down, so did her ability to fight

back the tears. "I couldn't live with that rejection, especially not from

you!!" she squeaked out, as she drew her hands to her face once more. 

  
  


Tommy approached her silently, closing the gap between them to just a few

feet. Her hair blocked him from seeing her face, but he could hear her

quiet sobs. His eyes were also wet with emotion; he couldn't help but

wonder if there were more scars hidden that she wasn't going to tell him

about. 

  
  


"Kim, is that why all this time you have been keeping me an arms length,

away from getting close to you?? Because you thought that if I found out

that you had an eating disorder, I wouldn't love you and turn my back on

you??" 

  
  


"Like you said, you already thought I was perfect. And from what I've

seen, leaving seems to be the standard reaction... either that or taking a

swing at someone," she added, as she threw the wet paper ball onto the

gray counter top, gulping back the tears as best she could. 

  
  


Her statement fell upon him like a sledgehammer. He easily recalled using

the word to describe Kim, though she had obviously thought he had meant

'perfect' in the literal sense --as in 'absolutely flawless'. He took one

final step toward her before he leaned against the counter beside her.

Unable to resist the urge any longer, Tommy reached out and pulled the

curtain of hazelnut brown hair away from her face, tucking it carefully

behind her ear. 

  
  


Kim started at the feel of his touch. During the conversation, she had

been so focused on trying to hold herself together just a little while

longer, that she hadn't been aware of his slow advance from the doorway.

With her eyes fixed downward, she managed to turn toward him slightly. 

The paleness of her face made her puffy eyes seem even redder. Dried

tears stained her cheeks as a few fresh ones continued their downward

cascade. The trembling girl just stood there, unable to look at him and

biting her bottom lip hard enough to draw a bit of blood. A host of

emotions played across her face, like a scrolling message board. 

Tommy couldn't help but wonder exactly how bad the physical fighting

between her parents had been, or how much of it Kim had to witness first

hand. 

  
  


"Did either one of them ever physically hurt you?" he nearly whispered, a

shadow of alarm touching his eyes. 

  
  


Without even trying, Kim knew if she so much as opened her mouth she would

be unable to stop the emotional flood from starting. Hesitantly, she

raised her clenched fist before extending her index finger. 

  
  


"Once?" he said aloud, and watched as Kim made another gesture. "When you

were younger?" 

  
  


Her chin quivered as the sobs forced their way out; the gymnast only shook

her head in affirmation of his translation. The last shreds of any control

she had were now shattered, as every last bottled up tear fought its way

out. Without warning, Kim found herself being pulled into his arms. She

weakly struggled against the comforting embrace, hitting his

well-developed chest with her hand as she gave her best attempt to pull

away. 

  
  


"I'm not going to hurt you, Kim," he soothed, refusing to let her go. 

Thoroughly exhausted, she gave in and allowed herself to melt further into

his protective hold, leaning against him with all of her weight. Tommy

took a deep breath as a sense of relief washed over him. The worst part

seemed to be over --for Kim. Tomorrow would be his turn to tell her about

his "mistakes" in Stone Canyon. They had exactly nine more days together

before he had to leave for Arizona, and he was not about to waste a moment

of it. 

  
  


"I hate to be the one to tell you this, Beautiful, but no one's ***that***

perfect; we ***all*** make mistakes sometimes," he murmured, resting his cheek

against her hair. Though he would still let Kim set the pace, he made a

silent promise to do everything within his power to make sure she knew

exactly how much he loved her. He would not let himself get so wrapped up

with other things that he lost track of his priorities again. 

  
  


"Please don't leave me here by myself tonight.... I hate being alone," Kim

pleaded through the tears, clutching a handful of his shirt. 

  
  


"I won't leave if you don't want me to, I promise," was his firm reply. 

  
  
  
  


To Be Continued....


	7. Chapter 07: Dreamstate

Authors Note #1: For all of those who have given me feedback similar to the following statement: "Signkat, You promised that you were going to post the next chapter soon - I keep checking, but you still haven't...." PLEASE do not think that your words have fallen on deaf ears. Between real life and MAJOR writers block, I just haven't had it in me to sit down and work through this chapter. Therefore, I am posting what I thought would be the first half (or third) instead of a more complete chapter. And I'll be the first to admit that this segment hasn't been correctly edited by anyone else, so please be so kind as to overlook my mistakes for the moment.

This is what I get for trying to take on writing this entire epic-like-feeling story, after losing my one-time co-writer to her own real life (and never to be heard from again) over a year ago. 

I AM OPEN TO ANY AND ALL SUGGESTIONS AS TO WHAT SPECIFIC DIRECTIONS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS STORY CONTINUE IN. (Although please give me more feedback than simply saying "Get Tommy & Kim Back Together!") ~Thank You~

For anyone who is still with me after all this time, may I commend you on your patience... for those of you who have moved on, I will miss you. 

  
  


Authors Note #2: The made-up city of Cannon Falls borders both Stone Canyon and Angel Grove. Also, pay attention to the way Kim's mother like's to interchange "You" and "We". Yes, That was intentionally done... Get the feeling that all of Kim's hard work ISN'T just for herself?? ~Signkat

Tortured Souls Series

"Dreamstate"

By Signkat

  
  
  
  
  
  


Exhaustion had finally taken it's toll on her while he held her in the kitchenette; for the emotionally frail gymnast had fallen asleep standing up, cradled in his arms. It saddened him to wonder if Kim actually thought that he would have left her after what she had just admitted to him - -when it was so obvious that she needed someone to show her that her mothers misguided teachings were completely wrong... not all men leave. Even in her sleep, Kim refused to relinquish her hold on his shirt. 

Though he had hated to disturb her peacefulness, the edge of the counter top pushing into his lower waist had begun to hurt. Kim started awake as Tommy shifted onto his feet and effortlessly, gathering her up in his arms to carry her to the couch. But with a few reassuring words she was asleep against his side within moments of her head coming to rest on his chest. 

To his relief, Kimberly had slept soundly throughout the night. His own rest had been light aware of the slightest sound or movement which had emanated from the figure curled against his side. Saddness tugged at him as Tommy continued to watch her sleep. He ran a fingertip across

the back of her hand with a feather-light touch. Kim still held fast to the fistful of his t-shirt, which she had immediately reclaimed as he had eased her down onto the couch hours before. 

With a regretful glance at the VCR clock, Tommy realized that he had officially missed the traditional "Morning After The Race" team meeting. There was no doubt in his mind that his uncle would be looking for him. He had no idea how many times his pager had gone off by now, since he had accidently-on-purpose left it on the dashboard of his truck, so it wouldn't be a cause of interruption. Though his mind scolded him to call his uncle and put the man at ease as to his nephews whereabouts, his heart pleaded with him not to.

  
  


*Well, I guess it can wait for a few more minutes. I'm already going to be doing extra practicing for missing the meeting - what's another five minutes going to matter?* Tommy convinced himself without much effort. 

  
  


His thoughts began to drift back through the past 48 hours; the information that Jason had shared, the things that Kim had fought to hide for the past 5 years. One thing was unmistakable, He and Kimberly owed a lot to their friends. 

  
  


He was pulled from his reverie by a small whimper. Tommy watched with protectiveness as, for the first time since she had fallen into the deep sleep, Kimberly's expression began to scowl slightly. Her hold on his white cotton shirt tightening as she drew her fist a little closer to herself.

Kim released an unintelligible mumble as A few dream-induced tears trailed sideways across her face before dripping from her temple to his chest. Tommy gently began to stroke the back of her fist with his fingers, his other hand traveled across her lower back and side with light methodic pressure -- subtle reminders to her sleep-enveloped mind that he was still holding her. 

  
  


"Hey Beautiful, It's only a dream. I'm still here, Kim... I'm not going to let anything happen to you." He whispered to her reassuringly. Within moments, she quieted as her expression softened. 

  
  


He felt most of the tension release from her body, her hand become lax once again. Tommy released a small sigh as he felt her nestle a bit closer to him in her sleep. His arms enveloped her snugly once again, to reassure himself as well as Kim, that she was safe. 

  
  


*I finally have you back, and I'm not letting you go this time.* He silently promised her. 

  
  


Without even a thought, Tommy bent his head and kissed Kim's forehead gently. 

  
  
  
  


*******************

The red and white decor of the gymnasium seemed to flow together, as Kimberly once again began the first tumbling pass of her floor routine. Upbeat instrumental music flowed from the nearby portable stereo, but even the loudness of it could not drown out the sound of her mothers

constant shouts and corrections. 

  
  


It was just after noon, but the remainder of the gym and building would remain deserted for the day. Sundays were supposed to be a day of rest for the Angel Grove Gymnastics Team, however her mother obviously didn't hold the same opinion. 

  
  


"Step with the beat!"

"Keep your chin up!"

"Snap that turn!"

"Higher!"

"You over-rotated!"

  
  


Beams of warm sunlight cascaded through the narrow windows near the ceiling. Outside, it was a perfect 80-degree late July day. What a better way to spend it than having a picnic, some much-needed laughs, and fun with your closest friends? That's what Kim had hoped to do, when

Trini had called her with the plan last night. She had been trapped indoors, practicing six to seven days a week, ten to eleven hours a day, for the past month for the "Tri-City Gymnastics Competition" which was to be held in Canyon Falls, just before high school went back into session. With over a full month of preparation time still ahead of them, Carolyn Harte made no effort to hide her strong convictions regarding her daughters practice schedule. Missing two hours of it earlier in the week was not to be overlooked, not even for a dentist appointment. 

  
  


"Straighter!"

"Legs Together!"

  
  


Instead of getting to sleep in a bit before having some fun on her day off, Kim had been woken at dawn by her mother, so they could get an extra-full day's practice in without interruptions. Even as the tired girl protested, it quickly became obvious that nothing would change her mothers mind. 

  
  


Carolyn's constant remarks about Kimberly's eating habits had dwindled, however "Coach Harte" remained a force to be reckoned with. Especially when she felt that her daughter ought to have her routine down with absolute flawlessness - and nothing but infinite perfection would be tolerated. 

  
  


"STOP!!!"

  
  


The music vanished, but was instantly replaced by her mothers' incessant scoldings. Over Six hours of doing the exact same routine, and not being able to go straight through it once without being told to stop, was getting to be a bit tiring. 

  
  


*What the hell did I do now, Breathe off-beat?? She definitely hasn't lost the knack of taking every ounce of fun out of something!!* Kim thought, as her feet met the padded floor. 

  
  


As her mothers voice grew closer, Kim released a frustrated huff, looking up at the clock on the far wall. It was past the time she was supposed to meet the others at the park. The one small strand of hope which had kept her going til now snapped, as Kim sank to the tumbling mat.

  
  


"...and I've gone out of my way to make sure that you could make up for the time you missed last week. If you can't stick your routine now, how do you think expect to do it in front of the judges? We have a hell of a lot to do in order to be ready for the "Tri-City"! If we want to place first overall in this - we'll have to be the absolute best!" 

  
  


"Mom, the competition's still six weeks away! Why can't I just take this afternoon off? Everyone else on the team has today off!" Kim found herself almost yelling back in frustration.

  
  


Momentarily stunned by the outburst, her mother quickly recovered. "Kimberly Ann, Don't think I'm going to let you go and waste your time with that low-life Tommy instead of practicing. If everyone else went and jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge, would you do it too?" She snapped

back. Carolyn gave no notice to her daughters emotional state, as she retreated back to her preferred "Coaching" spot near the balance beam. 

  
  


"Sweetie," Kim knew full well where this speech would lead to, from the suddenly sweet tone her mothers voice had taken on. "I have made many sacrifices over the years so you could have the best coaches and the best training. And so I could see you fulfill the dream of representing

our country in the Olympics. But to do that, you need to be the VERY best! You might have to give up a few things in order to get there, but one day we WILL have that Olympic gold! It'll all be worth it in the end, I promise. So lets get back to work so you can show every other gymnast

on this team and everyone at that competition who's the best!! Don't you think that's the least you owe me?" 

  
  


Kim found herself giving into the tears of defeat and bitterness which had been building throughout the morning. Why couldn't her mother just cheer her on from the sidelines like all the other parents seemed to be content with doing? And in the end, she could just be Kimberly, without all the expectations. Win or lose - - the most important thing could be that she was happy. 

"Ok - lets start again from the top!" 

  
  


Kim could not remember a time in her life when she didn't love doing gymnastics. The creativeness, the grace, the friendships she'd developed both at the Gym as well as at Ernie's. It was almost as if she had been born on the apparatuses. Though she took great pride in

competing, the Olympics had never truly been HER dream - - but it had always been her mothers. It had been made extremely clear that one way or another, her mother would see that dream fulfilled. 

  
  


"Kimberly - Will you get your head out of the clouds and get back to work!" Carolyn screamed impatiently. 

  
  


The pink-clad gymnast finally pushed herself to her feet once again, but turned toward the sideline bench instead. Burying her face in a workout towel, Kim drew in a shaky breath as she tried to get her emotions under control once more. 

  
  


"Excuse me," Her mother marched up behind her, arms tightly pretzeled across her chest. "What on earth do you think you're doing?" 

  
  


At that moment, Kim felt herself snap. The reaction felt alien to her, as if the proverbial bottle had finally reached it's bursting point and shattered. 

"I've been practicing my ass off all week. I've been here six days a week since the beginning of June, and will continue to be here six days a week until the competition. I'm here, in this gym, from early morning, until it's nearly dark. Do you want to know why no one else is here today

mother? It's Sunday. Sunday's are supposed to be our day of rest - - away from the gym, so every gymnast on this team has a slim chance at a social life. And since it's supposed to be my day away from work, I'd like to go have some fun in the sun with my friends." Slinging her gym bag over her shoulder, Kim finally turned toward her mother. "I'm sorry if I've ruined your plans for the day, but my friends have been expecting me and now I'm late. Why don't you get a few of your friends together and go for a picnic." She suggested as she picked up her warmup jacket, and then walked away. 

  
  


* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ 

  
  
  
  


Kim awoke quietly, as her dream counter-part exited the gymnasium. For a moment, the altered dream lingered. Never before had she had the courage to stand up to her mother not even in her dreams. But then again, with the exception of Jason and Trini, Kim had never been so open with her feelings or opinions until last night. 

  
  


As the random lingering images dissipated, Kimberly became aware of the things which had lulled her into the deep sleep. The steady rhythm of his heart beat, the gentle rise and fall movements of his chest. The warmth of another body pressing against hers, their legs loosely intertwined. His

right arm trapped under her, his hand gently traveling along her back. With his left arm unobstructed, Tommy continued his slow gentle pattern on the back of her once-again relaxed fist. 

  
  


*Tommy* She thought happily, her eyes still closed to the world. Unwilling to give up her cocoon of safety and comfort, she snuggled against him a bit tighter. 

  
  


The huge weight on her heart and mind were gone - - her painful past was finally out in the open, and yet she had not woken up alone. Regret remained like a scar; she had allowed her fears to damage their relationship severely -- almost severing it for good. 

  
  


Even the night in his motel room, Kim hadn't let on to Tommy that she had awoken after the nightmare in his motel room, for fear that he would ask questions. However, pretending to still be asleep had proved to be no easier. 

  
  


As she attempted to play possum, It was impossible for Kim not to be reminded of how the hollow between his shoulder and neck, had always seemed to fit her head perfectly. How throughout most of high school, no matter how bad her day had been, Tommy's arms always had the cure. However tempting it seemed, Kimberly refused to allow herself to enjoy the old comforts, for fear they would be instantly swept out from under her once the secrets had finally made themselves known. So, With great determination, Kim had once again forced herself back to sleep, and once again slipped into the old memories and fears which had been plaguing her

almost constantly since leaving California. 

  
  


*****

  
  


Kim felt her human pillow shift under her ever so slightly. A moment later, She felt the unmistakable warmth of his lips against her forehead. An uncontrollable smile played across her lips, though she remained still, savoring the moment. But Now, she realized, they had a second

chance... and a almost a solid week to begin to rebuilding things. 

  
  


Kimberly felt the heal of his hand brush her against cheek lightly, as he curled a stray clump of hair behind her ear. Unable to resist, she tilted her face and gently kissed the soft skin of his inner wrist. 

  
  


"Good morning" 

  
  


"Morning" She replied, Their eyes met as Kim finally lifted her head from it's resting place. It took only a moment for her to see there was no sleepiness in his expression. 

  
  


"How long have you been awake." She asked, resting her chin on the back of her hand.

"A couple hours I guess." He answered with a slight one-shouldered shrug. 

"Tommy, If you wanted to move you should've just woken me!" She scolded lightly, but thankful he hadn't.

"Who said I wanted to go anywhere? Besides, You needed your rest and It's been a while since I've gotten to watch you sleep." He favored her with a gentle smile, "Wild horses couldn't have dragged me away." 

  
  


Her cheeks flushed, Kim momentarily closed her eyes and drew in a slow breath. "Thank you for staying last night... I'm sorry I didn't tell you about any of it sooner."

  
  


"You have nothing to be sorry for. I can imagine how difficult going though all of that must have been for you. I don't even want to think about what it would've been like for you if Jason, Trini, and the others hadn't been there."

  
  


"I guess I just had myself so convinced that if I told you... If you found out I wasn't as perfect as everyone else thinks, that I would lose any chance I had with you. Not that I didn't do a good enough job screwing things up on my own, with that letter." She couldn't stop her self-bitterness

from showing.

"I don't know how much of what I said last night in the kitchen, you actually heard. But I never meant that you were or that I expected you to be the dictionary definition of 'perfect'." He paused to allow the truth to soak in. "I only expect you to be true to yourself, Kimberly. And I swear

to you, there is not one thing that I would ever want to change about Kimberly Ann Hart."

  
  



	8. Ch 8: AUTHORS REQUEST

**AUTHORS NOTE**

**DOES KIM'S REASON FOR THE LETTER EVEN MAKE SENSE? PLEASE REVIEW/EMAIL & HELP ME DECIDE TO EITHER CONTINUE/FINISH OR TRASH THIS STORY & START OVER!**

IF YOU EMAIL ME, PLEASE BE SURE TO PUT "TORTURED SOULS" IN THE EMAILS SUBJECT LINE – OTHERWISE I NORMALLY JUST DELETE EMAILS WHO I DON'T RECOGNIZE!!


End file.
